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Parma man turns to poetry to express mental health struggles post-pandemic

Despite the challenges presented Samuel Plaisance found a way to channel his emotions by writing poetry.

PARMA, Idaho — The COVID-19 pandemic impacted Idahoans of all ages and from all walks of life both mentally and physically. Despite the challenges presented, a Parma man found a way to channel his emotions by writing poetry.

Numbers from the United States Census Bureau show the COVID-19 pandemic had devastating effects on mental health, especially among young adults. More than 56% of young adults reported signs of anxiety or depression.

One of those young adults is Samuel Plaisance, a man from a farm in Parma. He said his struggles with mental health began when he was in high school and only worsened when the pandemic began.

Rather than allowing his emotions to get the best of him, Plaisance decided to use poetry to cope with personal struggles.

"I've had such bad relationships, losing a loved one that was really close to myself to something like cancer and suicide," he said. "I never really wanted to talk about what I was going through with people face-to-face. [It] really affected me for years. It gave me trust issues, and I didn't see the best in people for a long time."

Plaisance published his works in the hopes of helping others struggling with mental health issues.

"I want other people to be able to resonate with what I'm feeling and know that someone else out there understands," he said. "And that you can read and go, 'You know what? If he is able to turn this into something that he is able to show other people, and at the end of the day it finds closure, I hope that someone else can do that too.'"

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