Hurricane Helene devastated the lives of many throughout Western North Carolina. As people start to rebuild, mental health is often not prioritized.
Mental health is often a stigmatized topic in many different ways which can have a number of negative consequences.
“The more prevalent stigma is related to dangerousness, particularly dangerousness towards other people but also dangerousness toward oneself,” said Kathleen Brennan, direct of the sociology program at Western Carolina University.
Other stigmas that surround mental health revolve around seeking treatment.
“There are also stigmas related to treatment seeking. The idea that if someone receives treatment for mental illness, they may be seen less favorably in the eyes of people who are close to them or people who they work with or people in their community,” Brennan said.
Brennan says that because of the stigma, those who are seeking treatment might not be willing to talk about it and want to hide it from people, especially on college campuses.
“A lot of people don’t take the time to evaluate their mental health, and it affects them pretty bad in the long run and the short term as well,” said Jacob Pendergraph, a communication major.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Pendergraph volunteered in Asheville with Samaritan’s Purse, a faith-based outreach group.
“It looked like a warzone. It was bad. There were bodies on the side of the streets, families stuck in their houses. It was hard to see and thinking just a couple days earlier it was a normal city,” Pendergraph said.
While volunteering, Pendergraph cleared up roads, helped families out of trapped houses and aided in search and rescue missions in Burnsville, NC.
Pendergraph struggled with what he saw in the streets of Asheville after he finished volunteering.
“I mean it was hard. Even with the mental preparation of I might see some stuff, it was still really hard to process. Nobody’s ever really prepared to see a dead body lying on the side of the road until it happens,” Pendergraph said.
Pendergraph has been in counseling for a while but still finds it hard to speak on mental health issues because of societal views of men.
“Society has this compulsive urge to view men as strong, emotionless, unflappable. They think the little things in life don’t bother us and that we don’t have mental health and it’s not something we need to worry about,” Pendergraph said.
Brennan explains that women are often more likely to disclose information about mental health than men.
“There’s a lot of different social factors that go into why men are less likely to disclose experiencing it or even to really recognize some of the symptoms,” Brennan said.
Traditional gender norms play a role in why men are often reluctant to talk about mental health.
Caroline Engler, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, explains that natural disasters such as Hurricane Helene can have significant and far-reaching impacts on mental health and wellness.
“For months or even years after witnessing a natural disaster, you may find yourself struggling to focus, to respond or to navigate your days in the ways you were able to do so before the event,” Engler said.
Engler says those struggling may experience nightmares, difficulty trusting your sense of safety, internal conflicts with your previous world view and feelings of disconnection from your community.
Pendergraph advises students to find an outlet to talk about their struggles.
“What you’re doing is heavy, life is hard, and nobody should ever be expected to go through it without having a shoulder to cry on,” Pendergraph said.
Regardless of stigma, mental health is important and should always be taken seriously.
For more information on services provided on WCU’s campus you can visit caps.wcu.edu. If in need of assistance you can schedule an appointment at (828)227-7469.
