LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – In a concession speech filled with words of hope and vision, Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged the emotions that come with defeat.

Carolyn Clines knows what she was talking about.

“A lot of sadness, a lot of fear,” Clines said Thursday.

The 23-year-old Louisville native fears a continuation of inflammatory rhetoric in the months leading up to the election and the continued loss of reproductive rights.

“I’m terrified of the repercussions of that,” Clines said. “I am terrified that I won’t be able to access the care I need. “I am terrified by the idea that if I have complications they will not treat me.”

Like others who have personally invested in the outcome of the campaign, Clines is seeking the services of a mental health professional to overcome the pain.

Licensed psychologist Dr. Allyson Bradow has heard from many of her patients.

“Yesterday morning I woke up to a lot of text messages saying, ‘I’m terrified, I’m trying not to spiral into a suicidal incident.’ I’m afraid of what this means for me, for my children and for my partner,’” Bradow said.

Bradow finds more extreme reactions in people who feel more vulnerable. Even before the election, the suicide rate was already high among the trans population.

“My concern is that those who are not already in active treatment will not necessarily be able to reach out and use resources to maintain their own safety,” he said.

Common advice from mental health officials is to talk to others and not suffer in silence.

Carma Bell Marshall monitors mental health trends as co-chair of the Trans Wellness Coalition.

“It’s collapsed,” Marshall said. “There is a lot of desperation. There is a lot of depression. There is a lot of hopelessness and anxiety. That is currently circulating. “People don’t know how these chips are going to fall now.”

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