The Lens co-presented an online panel discussion Thursday afternoon about post-traumatic stress disorder, an event tied to the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
You can replay the discussion here.
The video-based forum was designed to recognize those who have been battling PTSD and discuss changes in the community with respect to mental health and related services.
The event was an outgrowth of a documentary film, “Buried Above Ground,” which tracks three people dealing with the disorder, including a New Orleans resident who suffered through the storm, the federal floods and the years of aftermath.
We’re presented the event with the team that created the film, and director and producer Ben Selkow moderated the discussion. The documentary will premiere and then tour the film-festival circuit later this year, but you can see the trailer here.
The New Orleans portion of the film focuses on Ashley Boudreaux, who relays a horrific account of her personal experience with Katrina, alongside the love for her city. The film follows her as PTSD symptoms develop around storm preparedness, and as the fear of natural and man-made disasters takes over her life.
She eventually moves in to Art Egg Studios where she finds support in a community that has had similar experiences. Like so many who lived through Katrina, it has taken Ashley almost an entire decade to find ways to manage her symptoms.
Confirmed panelists include: Journalist Chandra Thomas; retired Judge Calvin Johnson; 7th Ward Neighborhood Center Vice President Angela Chalk; ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson; women’s health nurse practitioner Jamie Roques; Laura van Dernoot
Lipsky of the Trauma Stewardship Center; Jason Otis, a New Orleans native, Katrina evacuee and now with Peter Mayer Advertising in the city; and Lens founder Karen Gadbois.
More information is available at buriedaboveground.tv