By KELLY WILSON

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

Chuck Johnson worries about the potential for stress, troubled relationships, depression and other emotional problems among those affected by recent flooding.

"You don't want to see marriages breaking up over this flood," said Johnson, administrative coordinator of behavioral health services at Blessing Hospital.

But marital struggles and other hardships could be a reality for some if they don't recognize the early signs of post-traumatic stress syndrome and take action before it takes a devastating toll.

"We're going from a sense of relief, that everybody's safe, to dealing with more stress, frustration and anger," Johnson said. "The reality of loss is going to hit," particularly after the flurry of activity surrounding floodfighting efforts and the media attention on the disaster end.

Typically, the signs of post-traumatic stress syndrome occur within about three months of a traumatic event.

"Sometimes it doesn't hit home until the water's all gone," Johnson said. "And sometimes it's hard to recognize. People don't want to show their true feelings. They think people around them just want them to pull it together. They tend to want to avoid dealing with it."

Johnson said post traumatic stress syndrome can manifest itself in five ways.

* People will have physical symptoms, such as stomach ache, diarrhea, rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing and headaches.

"Their immune system goes down and they're more prone to getting colds," Johnson said. "They're not taking care of themselves, not getting exercise, not eating well and not seeing their doctor."

* People will exhibit emotional problems.

"It's real normal for people to have periods of depression and anxiety," he said. "They feel overwhelmed by everything. A lot of people may find they break down crying for no reason. They're easily frustrated. They're irritable with their spouse or kids, which is not typical for them."

Some days, people may feel helpless and hopeless.

* Negative thoughts may creep in, or people may have trouble with concentration, memory and attention span.

"You can't get your thoughts organized. You misplace things or have a feeling of being confused," Johnson said. "You may want to blame somebody for what's happened."

* Troubled relationships, including marital conflicts, can occur.

"People are going to be more on edge with each other. They're also going to find that areas of intimacy are affected," he said. "They may have more difficulty dealing with children and may have difficulty communicating. Some individuals tend to feel that people have forgotten them, that they've been abandoned by friends or family."

* Life problems associated with the flood recovery process may heighten a person's stress level.

"When people deal with a flood, they have a lot of real problems ahead of them," Johnson said. "They have to deal with insurance companies, and even though FEMA and the government are good, they'll experience bureaucracy and delays.

"Many people are going to have to go to the banks to get a loan. Some people are having employment problems. Farmers who lost crops may not have money coming in, but they still have to put food on the table."

Some families who had to evacuate their homes may still be living with family members, in motels or emergency housing.

"It's never the same as your home," Johnson said. "The longer they're away from home, the more stress they have."

Johnson emphasizes that these reactions are normal, and that people shouldn't feel like they're going crazy. But they need to take action before the situation gets worse.

"It's important that they work on their health, to try to stay with healthy foods as much as they can and avoid excessive coffee, excessive alcohol and excessive use of drugs," he said. "They should focus on sleep and exercise, even if it's taking a walk every day."

He suggests taking breaks from the clean-up efforts to prevent burnout and frustration.

"Find something enjoyable," Johnson added. "That could be listening to music, taking a warm shower or bath ... something you can do every day to relax you."

It's also critical to keep the lines of communication open within the family, to accept help from others and to find someone, whether it's a minister, neighbor or friend, to be able to go to when times are particularly tough.

"Think back to other times of crisis and how you coped with it, and see whether you can apply any of those things this time," Johnson said. "It's also important for people to try to get in touch with their spiritual side. Prayer and meditation can help you get through rough times."

If these remedies aren't enough, Johnson suggests the person consider counseling.

"About one out of three people will continue to have problems if they don't get help," he said.

--kwilson@whig.com/221-3391