Posttraumatic stress disorder after earthquake in Wenchuan

Objective To understand the prevalence of posttraum aticstress disorder(PTSD)after the earthquke in Wenchuan in order to take proper countermeasures against PTSD.Methods Arandom sample of 409 subjects wholived in Qingchuan and experienced the earthquake were investigated for PTSD.Results Totally 257(62.8%)subjects were diagnosed with PTSD.The preva lences of PTSD in women,in the people who suffered from casualties in the family and in the people aged 41-50 were higher than others.Conclusion PTSD is a commonmental disorder after the earthquake in Wenchuan.Early countermeasures against PTSD should be taken to improve their mental health after the earthquake.