Long-term Trends in Mental Health Disorders After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Key Points Question What is the persistence of mental illness symptoms among individuals affected by the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami 5.5 years after the disaster? Findings In a cohort study of 2781 community-dwelling older adults, approximately half of the individuals who reported posttraumatic stress symptoms and depression after the disaster had recovered by 5.5 years. The overall prevalence of depression remained stable between predisaster and postdisaster data. Meaning In this study, although mental illness symptoms persisted for more than 5 years among half of disaster survivors, the community-wide prevalence of depression remained unchanged, suggesting that the community itself was resilient.