New Orleans' Mental Health Crisis

Duncan Plaza
City Hall
New Orleans, La.
June 2007

Dear Family and Friends--

"Raven, are you hungry?" I asked.

"Yes," he said in a waning rasp.

Who knows what happened to his clothes, but the hospital gave him scrubs--four days ago.

Usually, scrubs like these are worn outside the hospital by only by chic high school and college kids. They are, in many ways, the new sweatpants. For Raven, however, it had become his wardrobe.

Senator Barack Obama came to New Orleans today. He spoke at the Essence Music Festival, the country's largest celebration of African American culture.

Obama said everyone should be able to access health care. He didn't however specifically address the mental health problems of New Orleans. He didn't go into detail about his plans. But, for the 30,000 in attendance, his candor and general promise seemed to be enough.

I wonder what the next administration will do for the Ravens of New Orleans and the country. In many ways, KATRINA still claims people every day. People like Raven. He didn't tell me why he was in the hospital. And I must confess, I'm making an assumption that his mental health was less than stable. But in a City where 9 of 10, rich or poor, black or white, have been affected by depression or post-traumatic stress, federal aid is a necessity not a "It'd sure be nice."

When police find our mentally unstable on the streets, they take them to jail when psychiatric beds are full. And in Post-K NOLA, psychiatric beds have fallen by over 80 percent. This is not a statistic that should be ignored.

Mental health is not as stigmatized in New Orleans as it is in the rest of the country. People are open. People tell stories. And people cry. They say how hard it is. Many are not veiled in secrecy in New Orleans because, "We all went through it," one of my friends said.

But in a City where it seems the residents are ready to speak; where people are open to their new existence, those trained to help are rare.

The mental illness spectrum in New Orleans is large. Some are unsavable. They have frequent bouts of psychosis. But what about the blue-collar man fighting through what he thinks must be the blues?

Will they come forward? Who knows. Right now, we aren't prepared even if they wanted to.

May, 2007
Duncan Plaza, City Hall
New Orleans, La.

Dear Family and Friends,

Carl Davis makes me nervous. Asking a homeless guy if he's a hustler doesn't happen everyday. But, I wanted to know.

After all, he might be one of the best hustlers on the streets of New Orleans. He was charming despite terribly sun-cracked and blistered lips.

"Are you a hustler?" I ask.

"You know what a hustler is?" he says. "They're the guys that ask a few bucks from everybody, line up 30 or 40 dollars and buy crack with it.

Then, they'll try and bum a cigarette the next day."

Carl and I are on the steps of Duncan Plaza, the park outside of New Orleans' City Hall. The things he says are frightening. And the dent in his head is all the evidence I need to know he's truthful.

He's been homeless on and off since 1981. The father of six is "ashamed." "I don't want them to see me," he says.

He also hasn't seen a mental health professional in four years. It's early morning now, and the voices haven't started yet, he says.

We talked openly about the mental health struggles he's had. "I see monsters," he says. "They try to get me."

Voices tell him to jump in the Mississippi river. He's tried twice since KATRINA. Both times, a more loving voice told him not to do it. "I want to go to heaven," he says.

He tells me that the drugs made him groggy and that New Orleans doesn't have any good psychiatrists. It's funny, there really aren't enough here to take a sample of good and bad.

Twenty-six psychiatrists are registered in Orleans parish post-Katrina. There's probably more on one block in Manhattan.

Psychiatric beds are down more than 80 percent. The mentally ill homeless picked up tend to be taken to jail by the NOPD. It's out of necessity, not malice. There is nowhere to put them, the police department says.

Some people say the earth is not a cold, dead place. But we do forget people.

Carl Davis is 54. He was a pipe-fitter, has a great smile and better demeanor.

Don't forget him.

We Americans have forgotten enough people post-Katrina in serious need of help with their mental health.

It's a crisis. More psychiatrists/psychologists/crisis counselors, etc. are needed here.

Write your Senators and Congressmen.

Best,

Robert

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[popininmyhod]

Such great work, Robert! Important stuff for people to see. These are precious people! You should get in touch w/ my sis in New Orleans, Cecile Tebo. She's head of the crisis unit for the NOPD and has become a familiar face on local and national news since Katrina...fighting for help for the mentally ill in N.O.!

Good luck!

[timm9]

DRUGS DONT PAY.

[nolagirl06]

Great vids and commentary. Sad situations that needs attention.