Frequently Asked Questions About the Effects of Mass Violence, Terrorism or Disaster
What is within the "normal" range of reactions to a terrorist attack or disaster?
Most child and adult survivors experience normal stress reactions for several days or weeks. Survivors experience reactions such as shock, fear, grief, anger, resentment, guilt, shame, helplessness, and hopelessness. People may feel emotionally numb, lose interest and pleasure in day to day activities, have trouble concentrating, experience memory loss, and find that they are worrying. They may also experience physical symptoms such as tension, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and bodily aches or pain. People may also be troubled by nightmares or upsetting thoughts and images that come to mind. These are normal reactions to very stressful events. Intense or extremely strong emotional reactions are not necessarily a sign that a person will have future trouble. People can have very strong reactions and still recover fairly quickly.
What is the best way to manage stress related to terrorist events?
In the days and weeks after a traumatic event, the best way to cope is to do things to try to make yourself feel as calm and safe as possible. Try to connect with other people, do things to take care of yourself, and consider helping out your community. This will help whether you were directly affected by the attack or saw it from a distance.
Is there anything I should not do to cope after a terrorist attack because it might make things worse?
People have their own pace for processing trauma. It is important to listen to and honor your own inner pace. However, some ways of coping that are likely to make things worse involve:
- Completely withdrawing from people or avoiding being with people
- Taking out your angry feelings on the people around you
- Using drugs or drinking to get away from painful feelings
- Trying to completely avoid your painful feelings about what happened
- Trying to avoid anything and everything that reminds you of what happened
Who is vulnerable to developing a disorder such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or depression after a disaster or terrorist attack?
People that are likely to be very stressed by a traumatic event include those who:
- Were in danger or believed they were in danger of being killed or injured
- Had loved ones killed
- Witnessed other people being killed or injured
Young children who have these experiences are generally more vulnerable to developing disorders than adults. In addition, people who have been through other traumatic events and people with psychological or emotional problems may have stronger reactions and more trouble coping after a traumatic event.
What can I do to help someone who survived or who lost a loved one in a terrorist attack?
Coping with stressful events is easier when people support each other. If the survivor wants to talk about what happened and how he or she is feeling and you are not too upset by hearing about it, make yourself available to listen. Help the person get back to everyday routines. Help the survivor break big problems into segments and help him or her set small goals in order to eventually solve those problems. Help survivors get away from the stress of the event and their memories and loss. Suggest things that might be good distractions like watching a funny movie, reading a novel, doing artwork, playing sports, or working on a hobby.
If the survivor is still very distressed and doesn't seem to be getting any better after a month, help them consider getting help from a mental-health professional.
How long will I feel this bad?
While each person has his or her own way of reacting to and recovering from traumatic events, most people who were not directly involved in the terrorist attack will probably begin to feel better within three or four weeks. However, because of the magnitude of the terrorist attack and the fact that there are continued ongoing threats, it is difficult to predict how long people may feel upset. As mentioned above, most people who were affected will probably feel somewhat better in three or four weeks, although they may still feel very upset. In all but the most extreme cases, most people who survive a traumatic event feel better after a month or two.
People who were directly involved in the event and those who lost someone in the disaster/attack should begin to feel a bit better after two months. However, these survivors may still have many of their original symptoms. As time goes by, the periods of feeling unwell should get shorter and periods of feeling well should get longer. Most people who lost a loved one will probably begin to feel better after 6 months or a year. It is important to remember, however, that many people do experience a temporary increase in distress around the one-year anniversary of a trauma.
How can you tell when a person needs professional help?
A person may need extra help coping if a month after the attack he or she:
- Still feels very upset or fearful most of the time
- Acts very differently compared to before the trauma
- Can't work at all or take care of kids or home
- Has important relationships that are continuing to get worse
- Uses drugs or drinks too much
- Feels jumpy or has nightmares a lot
- Still can't stop thinking about the attack
- Still can't enjoy life at all
How can a person find professional help after a traumatic event?
Listed below are some ways to find help. When you call, tell whomever you speak to that you are trying to find a mental-health provider who specializes in helping people who have been through traumatic events and/or who have lost loved ones. Check this website regularly for updated information on how to get help.
Also see our fact sheets on:
For veterans
VA medical centers and Vet Centers provide veterans with mental-health services that health insurance will cover or that costs little or nothing, according to a veteran's ability to pay. VA medical centers and Vet Centers are listed in the phone book in the blue Government pages. Under "United States Government Offices," look in the section for "Veterans Affairs, Dept of." In that section look for VA Medical Centers and Clinics listed under "Medical Care" and for "Vet Centers - Counseling and Guidance," and call the one nearest to where you live. On the Internet, go to www.va.gov and look for the VHA Facilities Locator link under "Health Benefits and Services" or go to www.va.gov/rcs.
For non-veterans
Some local mental-health services are listed in the phone book in the blue Government pages. In the "County Government Offices" section for the county where you live, look for a "Health Services (Dept. of)" or "Department of Health Services" section. In that section, look for listings under "Mental Health." In the yellow pages, services and mental-health professionals are listed under "counseling," "psychologists," "social workers," "psychotherapists," "social and human services," or "mental health." Health insurance may pay for mental-health services and some are available at low cost according to your ability to pay.