Katrina kids can recover

Hurricane Katrina splintered their homes, scattered their friends across the United States and forced them to attend new schools in distant parishes, or even different states.

Nevertheless, children whose lives were turned upside down by the killer storm can regain their psychological equilibrium if they can settle into comfortable routines and surroundings, make and maintain connections with family members and friends, and get professional help if they need it, a team of Louisiana State University mental health professionals said Thursday in New Orleans.

Acknowledging symptoms such as anxiety and frequent weeping, and then seeking aid for a distressed child, are vital if the youngster is to make any progress, said Dr. Howard Osofsky, chairman of psychiatry at LSU Health Sciences Center.

"When we cover over the symptoms, the kids suffer," he said during a panel discussion about building resilience in children who have been through trauma.

from the Times Picayune