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

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