In New Orleans, the New York Times is reporting the city is experiencing what it calls “a near epidemic of depression and post-traumatic stress disorders” in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. According to local officials, the city’s suicide rate has nearly tripled since the storm devastated the city ten months ago. The rise has been accompanied by a severe collapse in the local mental health system. State officials estimate New Orleans has now lost more than half its psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists and other mental health professionals.