As the immediate life-or-death aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene recedes, a mental health crisis is rising in Western North Carolina.
From those who lost their homes to the first responders who discovered gruesome scenes, residents suffered all sorts of individual and collective traumas.
The impact of a mental health crisis in the region cannot be underestimated: suicide rates tend to increase dramatically in the first three years following a severe natural disaster.
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Western North Carolina is already known for its weak mental health care infrastructure, particularly in the region’s very rural areas — which is most of it. Half of its counties do not have a single practicing psychiatrist, according to UNC Asheville health sciences professor Fabrice Julien .
Still, mental health providers across the region are stepping up to help people process what happened to them and get their lives back on track.