An earthquake took place in August 1999 in the Marmara region of Turkey. A psychiatry team from Istanbul arrived two weeks later. Children and adolescents under 19 years of age were evaluated by a child and adolescent psychiatrist. A semi-structured clinical interview was administered to every patient presented. In addition, a non-structured, clinical interview was administered. One hundred and two children and adolescents were interviewed. The most frequent complaint was a ‘fear of being alone’ (96%), and the most common diagnosis given to these patients was acute stress disorder (74.5%). A considerable number of children started experiencing severe psychological symptoms immediately after the earthquake. Psychological support and treatment should be started as soon as possible, in such circumstances.
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