Frequently Asked Questions About the Effects of Terrorism
A National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet
By Eve Carlson, Ph.D. and Jessica Hamblen, Ph.D.
What is within the "normal" range of reactions to a terrorist attack?
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.
For more information, see Phases of Disaster, Effects of Disaster, and Common Reactions to Disaster.
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.
For more information, see Self-Care and Self-Help.
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
For more information, see Helping Survivors in the Wake
of Disaster.
Who is vulnerable to developing a disorder such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
or depression after a 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.
For more information, see Risk Factors.
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.
For more information, see Treatment or look under
"Resources for the Public" at www.istss.org
and read "When a Friend or Loved One Has Been Traumatized."
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 attack
and those who lost someone in the 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.
For more information, see Phases of Disaster and Effects of Disaster.
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
For more information, see Seeking Help.
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. We will be listing more ways to get
help as they become available.
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.
For anyone
Call your doctor's office or ask friends if they
can recommend any mental-health providers.
If you work for a large company or organization,
call the Human Resources or Personnel office to find out if they provide
mental-health services or make referrals.
If you are a member of a Health Maintenance
Organization (HMO), call to find out if mental-health services are available.
Call the National Center for Victims of Crime's
toll-free information and referral service at 1-800-FYI-CALL. This is a
comprehensive database of more than 6,700 community service agencies throughout
the country that directly support victims of crime.
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