In their own words: disaster and emotion, suffering, and mental health

In this article, I explore emotions, trauma, and mental health issues residents experienced after tornadoes in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Joplin, Missouri in 2011.

The research is based on 162 interviews and fieldwork from 2013-2015. I draw from literature on social suffering and trauma to ask how experiencing mental health and trauma changes how people make sense of their social worlds.

I discuss four common themes: 1. Emotions in immediate aftermath, 2. Relationship strain, 3. Mental health problems, and 4. Emotions in long-term recovery.  Throughout the article, I pay attention to the bodily experiences of suffering and trauma.

I argue experiencing mental health and suffering may be a critical perspective-one that can shed light on being in the world in ways that other perspectives may be less suitable to do.