Psychological disturbance in Darwin evacuees following cyclone Tracy

The incidence and course of psychological reactions following natural disasters has been based on clinical impressions in the past. In the present study, 67 survivors of cyclone Tracy who had been evacuated to Sydney were studied by an objective test, the General Health Questionnaire, which has been found to be a reliable and valid instrument in determining non-psychotic psychological disturbance. Fifty-eight per cent of these Darwin evacuees scored as "probable psychiatric cases" when tested five to eight days after the cyclone. Psychological disturbance increased with age and was more pronounced in females.