CNN
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In a new study, researchers say the experiences of residents of Flint, Michigan show that environmental disasters like the water crisis can have long-term consequences for mental health.
Flint residents reported changes in the color, smell, and taste of their water soon after the city turned to the Flint River as its water source in April 2014. Following outraged pushback from residents and reports of sick children mysterious, tests conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency and Virginia Tech scientists detected dangerous levels of lead in the water.
For the new study, published in JAMA Open Network On Tuesday, nearly 2,000 adults living in Flint during the crisis were asked about their experiences, their psychological symptoms five years after the crisis, and whether they accessed or used mental health services between August 2019 and April 2020. most responses. before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The researchers found that 1 in 5 Flint residents met criteria for suspected major depression, 1 in 4 for suspected post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and more than 1 in 10 for both disorders.
“Our findings from the study conducted with Flint residents five years after the water crisis indicate that Flint residents report extremely high levels of PTSD and depression, which are higher than the rates found in veterans after deployment and U.S. and global prevalence rates,” Angela Moreland-Johnson, one of the study’s authors and an assistant professor at the National Center for Research and Treatment of Victims of Crime at the Medical University of South Carolina, told CNN in an email.
More than half of the people surveyed were women, and more than half of all respondents identified their race as Black or African American.
“People who believed that the water crisis had moderately or severely damaged their health or that of their family were 123% more likely than their peers to have depression, 66% more likely to have PTSD and 106% more likely than their peers to have depression. % more likely to have comorbid depression and PTSD,” the study said.
According to the results, men were 28% less likely than women to meet criteria for depression, and black residents were offered more mental health services than white residents.
“The Flint community may require expanded mental health services to meet ongoing psychiatric need,” the researchers wrote in the study. “National disaster preparedness and response programs must consider psychiatric outcomes.”
The new study didn’t examine the mental health of residents of other communities like Jackson, Mississippi, which recently experienced its own water crisis. But Moreland-Johnson said the study results suggest that people involved in crises like Flint “may experience heightened PTSD and depression.”
The finding is especially relevant to those who experienced a potentially traumatic event prior to an environmental disaster, as “these prior experiences may put them at increased risk for mental health problems, including PTSD and depression.”
The researchers said communication with residents is key.
“Most importantly, we found that people who suffered the most harm from the Flint crisis and those who had little trust in the information provided by authorities about water safety were much more likely to experience adverse mental health outcomes. half a decade after the crisis,” said the study’s author. Salma Abdalla, a researcher at the Boston University School of Public Health, told CNN in an email.
Eight years after Flint’s water crisis began, even with new pipes and a different water source, some city residents recently told CNN they still don’t trust the water.
“I will never drink the water again,” said Audra Bell, whose family buys about 10 cases of bottled water a week for cooking, brushing teeth and making coffee and for themselves and their dogs to drink.
Her neighbor LeeAnne Walters says she does the same thing.
“There has been no justice in Flint. There has been no recovery of trust with the government because they have done nothing to do so. So voices go unheard and people have serious PTSD when it comes to water. I don’t know if there will ever be justice when it comes to Flint and the harm that has been done to people,” he told CNN.
Bell said the crisis has been hard on families and choosing to stay in Flint has not been an easy decision.
His advice to Jackson residents: “Just do your best and keep your family safe.”
The water is back in Jackson after historic flooding wiped out the water treatment plant where the pumps were already failing. But problems for residents may persist.
Abdalla said the research in Flint “highlights the importance of early action after environmental disasters like the current Jackson MS water crisis.”
“It shows the importance of uniting efforts to fix the water supply system with clear communication from officials to restore confidence in the system’s safety. Efforts must also include mental health resources for those who need them,” Abdalla said.
CNN reached out to the city of Jackson to find out what options residents have for mental health support, but did not immediately hear back. In a statement, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health said community mental health centers can provide therapy, peer support and intensive outpatient programs for people who need psychiatric care and substance abuse treatment.
In a statement to CNN, study author Aaron Reuben, a postdoctoral fellow at the Medical University of South Carolina, said the new research “indicates that environmental disasters at public works have a long tail, with psychological damage that can continue for years.” many years if left untreated. .”
“Simply put, clean water is a requirement for health, well-being, productivity, and dignity, and we are failing our citizens by meeting this basic need. We believe that Flint residents who lived through the water crisis have been remarkably resilient, and yet there is still a great unmet need for mental health services to address the psychological impacts of the event, which is reflected in very high rates of diagnosis. depression and PTSD in the Flint community,” Reuben said.
“The lesson for communities like Jackson, MS, is not to overlook the psychological damage and not to assume that just because community members are resilient, they might not benefit from services to address the psychological scars of a water crisis. long term”.
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