JOPLIN, Mo. — Emotional injuries may not be as visible as physical injuries, but officials with Ozark Center say they are just as real.

During the May 22 tornado, Jose de Leon took cover in the laundry room of his apartment on South Rhode Island Avenue. After it had passed, he came to the aid of his neighbors.

“I helped until I couldn’t handle it no more,” he said.

De Leon is troubled by nightmares and is urging his fellow survivors to get counseling, too. He knows that bodies and buildings aren’t the only things battered by the wind.

Ozark Center personnel have counseled more than 1,000 Joplin residents so far, said Vicky Mieseler, Ozark Center vice president for clinical services.

Mark Stewart, a psychiatrist with Ozark Center, said at a Wednesday news conference that those who are grieving may suffer from a lack of focus, an inability to sleep, flashbacks and difficulty letting loved ones leave their presence.

He said that is normal and expected. But if the symptoms don’t end or they intensify, they become unhealthy. Others, including first responders, health professionals, senior citizens, children and those with a history of mental illness are especially susceptible to mental health problems.



PTSD POSSIBLE

“PTSD is a real possibility,” Stewart said, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder, a disorder that affects those in war zones and other traumatic events. “PTSD will be an ongoing issue for many.”

Ozark Center, part of Freeman Health System, has counselors stationed at the American Red Cross and other shelters, at both Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Recovery Center locations, at the Multi-Agency Resource Center and elsewhere. They also can be accessed via telephone.

Stewart said many who need counseling may not realize they need it, so it is the duty of a family member or friend to tell the victims about changes in their behavior they notice. He said it becomes clear when normal emotions have crossed the line into an illness.

“It basically boils down to ability to function,” Stewart said. He said that if tornado victims can no longer work or resume normal activities, they need professional help.



OVERWHELMED

Linda Conrow, an employee in the marketing department at Freeman Health System, said she sought counseling and found it helpful. Conrow sought cover from the tornado under an iron bed as the house where she had lived for more than 30 years was devastated.

After the tornado, she found herself two blocks from her home, in the middle of the intersection at 15th Street and Murphy Boulevard, though she didn’t remember walking there. She asked passing motorists to check on the well-being of her elderly mother, who lived nearby. Someone reported back to her that her mother was safe.

She said she has been staying with a sibling and her mother, and has been suffering from anxiety. She said she has been overwhelmed by the things she needs to do.

“It just seems like it was too much all at once,” Conrow said.

She said the job of salvaging items from the site of her former house also has been emotionally trying. She said a kind of epiphany occurred when she dug a sign from the mud reading “simplify.”

She said that at 63, many of her friends are preparing to retire.

“I’m having to think about starting over,” she said. She said it also has been difficult to be the one needing help when she has always prided herself on helping others.

She said the Ozark Center doctor with whom she talked urged her to keep things in perspective, to eat healthy foods and to watch her sleep habits.

Conrow said she is looking upon her situation as another detour in life’s journey.

“We’re doing everything we can to make this community whole and to help this community heal,” Mieseler said after the news conference.

She said people build character during difficult times.



LAURA KELLY contributed to this story.





Counselors



OZARK CENTER has licensed crisis counselors available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 417-347-7070, 417-347-7720 and 800-247-0661.