GREENSBORO, N.C. — The tragedies we’ve experienced with recent storms left a lot of families feeling stressed, anxious and depressed.

Experts say hurricanes like Helene and back-to-back tragedies can make people more vulnerable to mental health issues.

Dr. Nannette Funderburk, a psychotherapist in Greensboro, said natural disasters can have a lasting impact on the way a person thinks.

“Because of the seemingly random nature of hurricanes and weather events, it can increase anxiety,” Funderburk explained.

Funderburk said tragedies can also cause post-traumatic stress disorder.

“The more you see this, the more you feel this is happening to me, this is happening right now, and it brings on the feeling of I can’t get away from this,” Funderburk said.

She said there are a lot of psychological outcomes after seeing repeated tragedies.

“The video makes it seem like it’s happening right now, so there can be functional impairments, meaning there’s a change in the way people function," she said.

Funderburk said the first step to protecting mental health is getting help. 

“Reach out to a professional to say, 'I’m having this impact after the storms,' because you don’t have to relive it and choose your focus because everybody did not perish in the storms, so let’s focus on what the people do who survived,” Funderburk said.