Studies have found that only a small proportion of disaster survivors receive mental health care. Getting help in Texas is especially difficult: Mental Health America ranked Texas last in the nation for access to mental health care in 2022.
that she simply doesn’t have. Like thousands of others in the Houston area, she’s been turned down for federal aid to help her rebuild — in Jones’ case, because her flood insurance lapsed.“So what do you do? It’s my home.”
Holly McFarland, a psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker in Fort Worth, said she first realized about four years ago that some of her clients’ mental health conditions were aggravated by climate change. Some mental health professionals remain skeptical that climate anxiety, eco-grief or climate-related disaster trauma is a fundamentally different type of mental health condition. But they acknowledge that the effects of climate change can bog down the emotional well-being of their clients.
“People can do better at dealing with a big problem like climate change if they can mobilize action and if they can take steps toward problem-solving,” she said. But now, every house looks different — many have been repaired, some have been elevated to protect from another flood, while Jones’ house and others still have flood damage five years after Harvey.
Thousands of homeowners remain in limbo, unsure when or if they will ever be approved. Others moved on, sold their properties — often for far less than they were previously worth — and started over. Many were deemed ineligible due to federal rules that require homeowners to maintain flood insurance if they received aid during a previous disaster.
She began to struggle again with high blood pressure in the years after the flood, something she thought she’d gotten under control before the storm. Her doctor prescribed medication for anxiety, hoping it would help reduce her blood pressure. Everyone in her family still has trouble sleeping during storms, she said.
“It’s going to be years before they do anything” to protect Melrose Park, she said. “Why are we on the backburner?”
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
“It’s destroying me”: Storm after storm, climate change increases strain on Texans’ mental healthTens of thousands of coastal Texas residents have survived repeated extreme weather events including Hurricane Harvey. For many, it has taken an emotional toll, and researchers warn that climate change could be “catastrophic” for our mental health.
Read more »
‘It’s destroying me’: Storm after storm, climate change increases strain on Texans’ mental healthTens of thousands of coastal Texas residents have survived repeated extreme weather events including Hurricane Harvey. For many, it has taken an emotional toll, and researchers warn that climate change could be “catastrophic” for our mental health.
Read more »
Comedian Mo Amer knows the joy and pain of life as a Palestinian refugee in TexasMo Amer described his new Netflix series, 'Mo,' as a 'therapeutic' way to revisit his own family history.
Read more »
FIRE: The Free Speech Group Taking on North Texas CollegesWhile watching the vice presidential debate in 2020, history professor Lora Burnett started to tweet from her living room in conservative Collin County. Then-Vice President Mike Pence wouldn’t stop talking when the female moderator had repeatedly and kindly asked. Burnett, who’d been scrolling through her Twitter feed and reading comments...
Read more »
Emergency contraception isn’t widely available for Texas' poorest peopleAbbott said that victims of rape could take Plan B to prevent a pregnancy. Due to the state’s healthcare landscape, accessing emergency contraception may not be feasible for low-income Texans.
Read more »