Abstract

MENTAL HEALTH IMPACT OF NEPAL EARTHQUAKE 2015 ON THE POPULATION OF GORKHA DISTRICT

Grinsun Sharma*, Biswash Sapkota, Grishma Sharma, Shishir Paudel, Gopal Lamichhane, Mahendra Adhikari and Prakash Poudel

ABSTRACT

Background: A massive earthquake of 7.9 Richter scale hit Nepal with its epicenter at the Gorkha district on 25th April 2015. The earthquake affected about one-third of the population. This study aims to assess the mental health impact of earthquake among the survivors of Gorkha district, Nepal. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among 320 survivors of Gorkha district from July to December 2015. Various socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, educational level, and marital status were assisted along the level of mental health impact among the participants. Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 was evaluated for the prevalence of anxiety and depression. PTSD Civilian version was accessed for possible PTSD. Results: In this survey, it was found that one out of five participants was suffering from mental health disorder while suicidal ideation was also noted among ten percent of the participants. Conclusion: The survey illustrated that there was a prevalence of significant anxiety, depression, and PTSD in survivors after an earthquake. Thus, psychosocial care should be provided to the earthquake victims alongside the physical treatment.

Keywords: Anxiety, Depression, Earthquake, PTSD and Suicidal Ideation.