Reports on Paris shootings could have massive health impact, therapists claim

Therapists say reports and photos related to the November 13th shootings in Paris can have a big impact on one’s mental health, especially for children. As more information about the recent Paris terrorist attack continues to unfold, the tragic images could have a deeper effect on children, according to a report.

“When we don't process it right in our brain it re-wires the way our brain thinks. Kids can feel often the same ways that they would feel if they broke a bone or were actually injured in the event,” said Dr Julie Strentzch, a counselor with Roy Maas' Youth Alternative Counseling Center in Texas, US.

Strentzch noted that while kids can work out their feelings through talking, emotions or even colouring, those feelings can develop into depression, anxiety and other changes in behaviour if they’re not able to express them.

As children are expected to ask difficult questions about the attack, she advised parents to answer these queries without having to go into all the details. Parents who have trouble talking with their children about emotional trauma can seek help from counselors.

“If there is not a place to talk about it than that trauma can't get resolved in a healthy way for a child," Strentzch pointed out.

In a report that came after the mass-shooting incident in Newton, Connecticut in December 2012, experts said that such tragedies can cause a community to experience collective post-traumatic stress disorder.

Approximately 10 to 15 per cent of people in the community involved will have symptoms of post-traumatic stress or depression after such an attack, according to James Hawdon, a professor of sociology at Virginia Tech University.

“The entire community often defines itself as being the target, as being the victim. The tragedy can cause collective disbelief and shock,” Hawdon explained.

He said contributing to the collective trauma is the fact that a number of people in the community will lose members of their social network. The Newtown shooting killed 27 people, 20 of whom were children. The recent Parish attack left more than 120 people dead.

Communities go through several stages of recovery, although they are not exactly the same as the five stages of grief typically experienced by an individual, Hawdon said. To help people deal with the emotional stress and strain caused by the tragedy, communities can come together through gatherings and vigils, he advised.

According to research conducted by Hawdon and his colleagues, online communication, such as tweeting and posting on Facebook, can also help people cope with the tragedy. He noted, however, that these social media efforts should be balanced with face-to-face interactions. Virtual interactions should supplement, but not replace, real-life support, Hawdon added.

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