Mississippi seems like a bit of a mess. Being the poorest state and one of the least educated states certainly doesn’t help things. It’s also the most obese state (40%!), #3 in childhood obesity rate (23%!), #2 in diabetes, #1 in shortest lifespan (more than 8 years less than the states with longest lifespans).
In the past I had a patient from rural Mississippi. I distinctly remember reviewing their medical records from the previous 2 years and being baffled/astonished by some of the decisions, or lack thereof, that were made. It’s just my anecdotal experience, but this is far too often the case with treatment in some of these southern states.
In fact, I was recently at a conference where I was informed by a therapist from Louisiana with a masters in clinical psych that addiction is exclusively a manifestation of trauma and that addiction only negatively affects the individual. These statements are obviously absolutely not true. (She also appeared to have an incorrect understanding of trauma which has a very distinct definition in the DSM.)
Then you have things like the Jackson water crisis, which is just incomprehensible how such things are allowed to happen- which involves not only a failure to supply water, but the water quality is also unacceptable. The EPA had been warning them for many years. There’s a lot of finger pointing, by in my understanding the city, the state, and the federal govt are all to blame here.
You’d think Mississippi being on the gulf and with the river they’d have a much stronger economy than they do.
I’m glad I’m fortunate enough to not be living there. It’s not surprising they’ve been hemorrhaging residents.
