A Culture in Crisis

Hillbilly Elegy (the movie) now streaming on Netflix! ​

I had the pleasure of reading the book when it was first published in 2016. Hillbilly Elegy tells the story of an Appalachian family in the crux of crisis and a young man brave enough to put an end to decades of family dysfunction. While this book recounts the history of an entire population of Appalachian settlers or “Hillbillies” who largely fell behind in the face of increasing technological advancement, providing some justification for MAGA generation, it also serves as a poignant example of trans-generational trauma and it’s devastating effects on an individual’s mental health and stability. To this day, the Appalachia region faces a severe opioid crisis and Appalachian states report adverse childhood experiences (ACE) survey scores higher than the national average. Increased ACE scores in childhood have been linked to physical and mental health difficulties in adulthood. What’s worse, people residing in Appalachia face numerous barriers to receiving mental health treatment, including a shortage of mental health professionals in rural and low-income areas, long wait lists, affordability of treatment and a deeply-rooted stigma towards seeking mental health support. So what’s the solution? It seems to me that the first step is increased mental health education, prompting individuals to better recognize cycles of abuse and seek professional support. If you’d like to learn more about trans-generational trauma and the pharmaceutical colonization of Appalachia, I encourage you to read the article below 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wvpublic.org/news/2018-02-13/analysis-the-pharmaceutical-colonization-of-appalachia%3f_amp=true