Vivid Intrusive Memories in PTSD: Responses of Child Earthquake Survivors in Turkey

Abstract

Case histories of five earthquake survivors are presented. One girl and four boys aged 10–15 were interviewed 2 days to 8 weeks following a devastating 7.4 earthquake in Istanbul, Turkey. At initial assessment, all met criteria for PTSD with major depressive and anxiety symptoms. Two children experienced vivid intrusive voices, one experienced smells, and two experienced vivid images that lasted 2–4 months. Upon follow-up 20 months after the quake, two adolescents were fully recovered; partial PTSD and moderate depression were present in two children who were bereaved and were placed in a boarding school. Disastrous episodes at schools and in communities require early responses from child psychiatrists and psychologists.