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Ashley – is a late thirties, fifth-generation New Orleanian who evacuated New Orleans and then returned to find her home destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Immediately after the storm, she came back to the city to help with the search and rescue of stranded and injured residents, including her neighbors and grandparents. She witnessed the carnage, toxic smells, martial law, looting, devastated homes and many more of the storm’s all-encompassing effects. Ashley has decided not to seek treatment, though she suspects she has PTSD. This stoic refusal of treatment is a view shared by many people in New Orleans as many feel that the energy to rebuild the city trumps their own need for treatment. For her, the disorder is just a part of the shared pathos of living in New Orleans. Through the annual hurricane season and ongoing efforts to rebuild her beloved city, will she seek psychiatric help? With the flight of psychiatric care after Hurricane Katrina, is there any help even available? |
