The more chronic it gets, the more negative the impact on the brain, and the harder to treat.Ĭhildren and adolescents, who are developing their worldview and deciding how safe it is to live in this society, may suffer even more. There are effective treatments available in the form of psychotherapy and medications. PTSD can improve by itself, but many people need treatment. Survivors of shootings may also experience survivor’s guilt, the feeling that they failed others who died or did not do enough to help them, or just guilt at having survived. Depression, another debilitating psychiatric condition, occurs in as many as 80% of people with PTSD. The rate of PTSD in mass shootings may be as high as 36% among survivors. When the trauma is caused by people, as in a mass shooting, the impact can be profound. The brain switches to fight-or-flight mode, or survival mode, and the person is always waiting for something terrible to happen. Symptoms include high anxiety, avoidance of reminders of the trauma, emotional numbness, hypervigilance, frequent intrusive memories of trauma, nightmares and flashbacks. PTSD is a debilitating condition that develops after exposure to serious traumatic experiences such as war, natural disasters, rape, assault, robbery, car accidents – and, of course, gun violence. In the worst case, a survivor may develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Survivors of a shooting may want to avoid the neighborhood where the shooting occurred or the context related to shooting, such as grocery stores, if the shooting happened at one. The extent of the trauma, stress or fear can vary. It is important to understand that no two people experience such horrific exposure in the same way. While the immediate survivors are most affected, the rest of society suffers, too. I am a trauma and anxiety researcher and clinician, and I know that the effects of such violence reach millions. ![]() In addition to those who experience direct loss, such events also take a toll on others, including those who witnessed the shooting, first responders, people who were nearby and those who hear about it – yet again – through the media. (THE CONVERSATION) An ever-growing list of mass shootings leaves families and friends of the victims gripped with grief, anguish and despair.
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