This article reports on the efforts of a consortium of university researchers studying the ongoing mental-health impacts of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil platform. In particular, researchers found significantly elevated rates of anxiety and depression in populations affected directly and indirectly by the spill, and those rates persisted for at least 2 years after the event. While loss of income was the biggest driver of mental health problems, the researchers found, they also discovered that higher levels of bitterness, anger, and distrust were associated with mental health problems. The findings suggest possible areas for intervention to assist people in communities affected by natural and man-made disasters.
