Five years after a water crisis rocked Flint, Michigan, a significant number of residents are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression and some may be suffering from both conditions, a new study finds.
They found that nearly one in four -- 24.4% -- met the criteria within the past year for PTSD and more than one in five -- 22.1% -- met criteria for depression. An additional 14% met the criteria for both disorders.
Residents immediately raised concerns about their water quality. The Flint River is highly corrosive to lead plumbing and officials did not apply corrosion inhibitors to the water, resulting in lead being leached from the old pipes. What's more only about one-third, or 34.8%, were offered mental health services. Of those offered services, 79.3% used them.