Analysis of Sociodemographic and Clinical Features of Earthquake Survivors Seeking Treatment at the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic Following the Kahramanmaraþ Earthquakes on February 6, 2023

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to examine the clinical-sociodemographic characteristics of people who came to Ankara and applied to our hospital the earthquakes of Kahramanmaraþ on February 6, 2023, and to examine the factors affecting early psychopathology and treatment initiation.
METHODS: The data of earthquake victims who applied to Ankara Bilkent City Hospital Adult Psychiatry Clinic as outpatients within one month after the earthquake were retrospectively scanned, and the obtained data were examined with descriptive statistics.
RESULTS: Within a one-month period, 309 outpatients who were affected by the earthquake and applied to our hospital were identified, and the average age of the participants was 41.7±15. 69.3% of the participants were women, 69.3% were married. 55.3%(n=174) had their first psychiatric application, 37.5% had current psychiatric follow-up, 26.9% had other medical comorbidities, all with an acute stress reaction. When the groups in which treatment started and not started were evaluated in terms of sociodemographic clinical characteristics and earthquake damage, a difference was found between the two groups only in terms of psychiatric history, and those with a psychiatric history were found to have a lower rate of starting treatment(p<0.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The findings of this study once again demonstrated the relationship between the magnitude of the trauma and post-traumatic stress symptoms, and showed that treatment may be protective in terms of exacerbation of symptoms and acute stress symptoms in individuals with psychiatric diseases. Longitudinal follow-up studies are needed to examine the course of these early effects associated with the earthquake.