USA Today (6/13, Zoroya) reports that behavioral health experts warn that “a second wave of suffering can flow from” violent events like the Orlando shooting, “as survivors and first responders — such as the police officers who fought their way into the Pulse early Sunday — struggle with what they’ve witnessed.” Behavioral health experts “say it is common for people to have intense memories of traumatic events. But when those memories become intrusive and involuntary, the result can be PTSD.”
Psychiatric News (6/13) reports APA President Maria A. Oquendo, MD said in a statement, “We are deeply saddened by the senseless violence in Orlando this weekend.” She added, “The notion that the potential motive for targeting the patrons of this nightclub was because of their sexual orientation is disturbing. … We offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to the victims and their families.
APA is a healing organization and our members will be there to help the community of Orlando heal.” Meanwhile, Robert Ursano, MD, chair of APA’s Committee on Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster, said, “Mass shootings are a far-too-common form of terrorism in our nation. …Terrorists attack the fault lines in our society, at the boundaries of sexual preference or race or ethnicity, so it’s important for our nation and our communities to stand together.”
Related Links:
— “After the shooting stops, another fear sets in: PTSD,” Gregg Zoroya, USA Today, June 13, 2016.