About 500,000 survivors of Hurricane Katrina and relief workers might need mental health services, according to an HHS estimate, the AP/Boston Globe reports (Mabin, AP/Boston Globe, 12/7). With the lack of medical services available in the region and the slow pace of rebuilding, some experts think the psychological toll will continue to grow, according to the Washington Post. Calls to a national suicide-prevention hotline increased from the typical 100 to 150 daily to more than 900 daily immediately following Katrina. Calls average about 210 a day now, Charles Curie, administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, said. A clinical survey by CDC finds that 45% of residents in Orleans and Jefferson parishes were experiencing "significant distress or dysfunction" and 25% had even "higher degree[s] of dysfunction." The survey also notes that about 50% of residents responding to the survey felt isolated and 25% thought at least one family member needed counseling (Connolly, Washington Post, 12/7). Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, said that between 7% and 12% of people directly affected after other disasters eventually experience post traumatic stress disorder, adding that because Katrina survivors number in the hundreds of thousands, the total number affected could be huge (Borenstein/Adams, Knight Ridder/Akron Beacon Journal, 12/7). HHS on Wednesday launched a public service campaign to encourage people with psychological issues related to the hurricane to look for help, USA Today reports. Confidential help lines will assist callers in obtaining information and getting referrals to local services (USA Today, 12/7). As part of the campaign, public service announcements advertising the help lines will go out to 11,000 media outlets (Washington Post, 12/7).