Given all the anniversary memorials to commemorate Katrina, it's crucial that we pay attention to the mental health crisis that is the legacy of the storm. From Forbes.com:

Anecdotal reports indicate the city's suicide rate has tripled, depression is widespread, and federal agencies estimate that 500,000 people are in need of mental-health care.

"All that is really directly related to the slow pace of recovery," said Dr. Janet Johnson, an associate professor of psychiatry at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. "People are still struggling with insurance and living in trailers and under very, very stressful conditions. We've really got a crisis going on."

"People are having problems with depression and anxiety, and a fair number are also having PTSD," added Dr. Richard Weisler, an adjunct professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "The depression and anxiety can be quite profound, so that a lot of people appear to be reaching levels of major depression."

The article, which is excellent, is about New Orleans, but it's important to remember that there are survivors in other cities and states as well. I heard a BBC report today about a coastal town in Mississippi that was completely destroyed—and a year later, still looks pretty much as it did just days after the storm. People there are disheartened and depressed too, and mental healthcare efforts need to be broad-based.

The Human Cry in New Orleans