Summersville, WV (WOAY) – The damage a flood does isn’t only physical. As heavy rain and flash flood warnings return to southern West Virginia this week, a local therapist says the mental toll can be just as serious, and it can surface long after the water is gone.
Lynzee Bostic, a therapist with Seneca Health Services, said flooding is something that can leave people more fragile when the water rises again.
“People that have been through something similar to this, like in the 2016 flood, they are actually more vulnerable,” Bostic said. “Whenever they have experienced previous trauma, they are more likely to be impacted by this.”
The effects can reach into nearly every part of a person’s daily life, she said.
“Shock, fear, confusion, changes in eating, sleeping patterns, mood swings. Isolating themselves. Living in a heightened fight or flight state, you know, because their feelings of helplessness, they’re just under so much stress that they’re not able to function,” Bostic said.
One of the most difficult aspects, she said, is that the symptoms follow no set schedule.
“It does not have to show immediately. It can show months later,” she said.
In some cases, Bostic said, the distress develops into a diagnosable condition.
“PTSD is like the reliving of the situation and the flashbacks and the daily impact that it has on you,” she said.
Family members and friends are often the first to notice something has changed, Bostic said, and she encourages them to watch for shifts in everyday behavior.
“Are they distant, or are they talking to you? Are they not doing things that maybe they used to enjoy?” she said.
More serious warning signs, including any mention of self-harm, should never be brushed aside, Bostic said. Seneca Health Services operates a crisis line 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and offers same-day appointments and telehealth services statewide.
With more rain in the forecast and the potential for additional high water, Bostic urged anyone struggling with the psychological weight of flooding not to wait to reach out.
“Seeking help for your mental health is just as important as your physical health,” she said.
