Long-term psychiatric morbidities among SARS survivors.
OBJECTIVE
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was the first massive infectious disease outbreak of the 21st century. However, it is unlikely that this outbreak will be the last. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term psychiatric morbidities in survivors of SARS.


METHODS
This is a cohort study designed to investigate psychiatric complications among SARS survivors treated in the United Christian Hospital 30 months after the SARS outbreak. Psychiatric morbidities were assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Impact of Events Scale-Revised and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Functional outcomes were assessed by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey.


RESULTS
Ninety subjects were recruited, yielding a response rate of 96.8%. Post-SARS cumulative incidence of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders was 58.9%. Current prevalence for any psychiatric disorder at 30 months post-SARS was 33.3%. One-fourth of the patients had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 15.6% had depressive disorders.


CONCLUSIONS
The outbreak of SARS can be regarded as a mental health catastrophe. PTSD was the most prevalent long-term psychiatric condition, followed by depressive disorders. Our results highlight the need to enhance preparedness and competence of health care professionals in detecting and managing the psychological sequelae of future comparable infectious disease outbreaks.
Mak
Ivan Wing Chit
IW
Integrated Post-SARS Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, United Christian Hospital, Kowloon, Hong Kong. ucmakwc1@ha.org.hk
Chu
Chung Ming
CM
Pan
Pey Chyou
PC
Yiu
Michael Gar Chung
MG
Chan
Veronica Lee
VL
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D004189:Disaster Planning; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006306:Health Surveys; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006769:Hospitals, General; D016519:Hospitals, Religious; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology