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Subscribe to RSSThe massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School shook everyone in Newtown, Conn., including the first responders, who will be undergoing counseling. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
A serial tragedy — like Friday's mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., that left 20 children dead — is like “a big rock thrown in a pond,” grief experts say, casting emotional ringlets that drench those closest to the bloodshed in life-changing despair and bathe entire communities and even distant observers in sorrow.
"What happens after that rock lands in the pond? The waves circulate out from ground zero. There are the victims. And these (at Sandy Hook Elementary School) are babies, so unbelievably sad,” said Dr. Jeff Dolgan, chief psychologist at Children's Hospital in Denver. “Some people are not even directly touched by the trauma but are in fact traumatized — think about the other kids at the school, the administrators at the school, the first responders, the caregivers. Then the waves radiate out from the school into the community."
Those ripples may initially unite a town in candlelight and song then splinter it into a torrent of blame and lawsuits, as happened after the Columbine High School shootings in 1999 that killed 12 students and one teacher and injured 24 others.
"At Columbine, the impact was very widely felt. I talked to the people who were dealing with the fatalities at the hospitals. They had caregiver trauma. They did everything they could with the influx of severely injured but felt inadequate to the task,” he added.
After the Columbine massacre, Dolgan and his colleagues aligned with mental health experts in Jefferson County, Colo., launching a hotline where local parents could call for advice on soothing their own kids' anxieties. On Friday, Dolgan urged the parents in Newtown to similarly band together.
“This is a neighborhood elementary school and the parents there hopefully are tight-knit. Once you have the care done, I hope the parents are supportive of one another and work with one another,” Dolgan said. “I hope parents team up and, in time, do get-togethers.”
Dolgan witnessed firsthand how some Columbine families looked initially to condemn and penalize neighboring families and local law enforcement officers for the deaths in their school. The families of more than 30 Columbine victims sued the parents of the two killers, also Columbine students, eventually settling for $2.53 million. The families of 17 Columbine victims also sued the Jefferson County sheriff’s department; one of those victims settled in 2004 for $117,500.
President Obama addressed the nation in an emotionally charged speech Friday, wiping away tears as he expressed sympathy for the families of the victims killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.
Many of the Columbine families, Dolgan agreed, were likely seeking outlets to vent their anger at the tragic event, and at the murders.
“But who are you going to blame? The first responders? No. (Columbine principal Frank) DeAngelis? No. The school security? No,” Dolgan said. “In time, there was more healing and the parents came together. But initially, no, there were some fractious qualities.”
While heartache and fury may engulf a town after a mass killing, such serial traumas psychologically damage those closest to the suffering on a far deeper level than they do people who were merely in the vicinity, who were, perhaps, close enough to hear the gunfire but not see the deaths, science has found.
Among 1,000 students who were on campus at Dawson College in Montreal in 2006 when a man shot and wounded 19 people, killing one, about one-third were found to be dealing with some form of mental illness within 18 months of that tragedy, according to a paper published in 2009.
“The most common form was clinical depression – which affected 12 percent or 1 in 8. That is about three times higher than would be expected in a normal population,” said Dr. Warren Steiner, head of the department of psychiatry at McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, and one of the paper's authors.
“The next highest was substance abuse — drug or alcohol — which affected about 10 percent, people who were self-treating their own anxieties. That’s about three times higher than you would see in the normal population,” Steiner said.
The precise proximity of the survivors to the violence that day directly affected their mental health later, the research team learned. They divided the 1,000 students into four groups based on their “level of exposure.” Those who had witnessed the shootings received the “highest” exposure score, followed by those who only heard gunfire, followed by those who locked themselves into classrooms without knowing if they were next, followed by those who were on campus but unaware of the attacks.
Michelle Mcloughlin / Reuters
The second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history sent crying children spilling into the school parking lot as frightened parents waited for word on their loved ones.
“There was a direct correlation between the level of exposure to the shootings and the development of mental illness. It’s common sense, but it had never been proven before,” Steiner said.
For those who viewed the killings, or who had held a wounded classmate in their arms, post-traumatic stress disorder was the most commonly diagnosed illness, followed by depression and then alcohol dependency.
But while the mass traumas at Columbine and Dawson College soaked each community in immediate anguish -- and, eventually, imbued those closest to the gunfire with psychological turmoil -- they continue to resonate in the Denver area and in Montreal, the psychologists said.
Memories of each are rekindled after the news of other serial shootings, including the 32 people who were shot and killed at Virginia Tech in 2007, the 13 people who were shot and killed at Fort Hood in 2009, and the 70 moviegoers who were shot — 12 fatally — in Aurora, Colo. on July 20.
“You hear about another one, and there’s the reflex of anxiety,” Steiner said. “I guarantee everyone who was at Dawson will hear the news this evening and they will have flashbacks and disturbing memories, PTSD-like symptoms from what happened to them.
“It goes on for a generation, no doubt about that,” Steiner said.
Dolgan agreed that the shelf-life of a local mass tragedy sticks with a community for several decades, and isn't simply shaken by the passing of time.
“No, no,” Dolgan said. “This is very long-lived.”
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- Massacre leaves America shocked and grieving ... again
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- Authorities ID gunman who killed 27 in elementary school massacre
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The NRA steps in and says there is no rock, no pond and go out and buy more guns.
Exactly. The NRA is going to take absolutely no responsibility here. Their only response is to have more security at America's schools to prevent this from happening again.. That means, buy more guns to stop more guns. The NRA also has the GOP on their payroll, and we all know the GOP is not going to support 'paying' for more security at our schools. We can't even get the GOP to support paying for schools as it is.
For the families, friends, who were impacted by this horrible tragedy, hearts in Texas are w/you.
We all know how this happened but, we need to figure out why it happened.I am curious.What exactly do you expect the NRA to do?Also,Blaming the GOP for this tragic event is totally out of line.NOBODY ever wanted or planned on something like this happening.(did you?)Tell you what though.Since you blame this all on the GOP,how about calling on Democrat gun owners to voluntarily go to their local law enforcement and turn over their guns.How about it Democrat gun owners?If you will i will.This could be the start of something big.Actions speak louder than words.
I expect the NRA and the government to do nothing as usual. But I'll tell you what I want them to do. I want them to stop opposing any and all forms of reasonable gun regulation. I want them to support mandatory training, licensing, and psychological/criminal screening as prerequisites for gun ownership - particularly for semiautomatics with high-capacity clips. The 2nd Amendment does mention a "well regulated militia" - what we have instead is a disorganized mass of mostly untrained (and sometimes mentally ill) citizens with far more lethal firepower than the Founding Fathers could ever have imagined.
People like you created this. You just won't own up to it. You and yours decreed that those school office workers had to, by law, be unarmed sheep. The only one in the office with a gun was the Mother Murdering, Criminal, Psycho. Because the rest were law abiding citizens who respected the already existing laws and did not bring a gun to school. They were, as you wanted them, unarmed victims waiting for the first armed criminal to come in and kill them. if any of the office workers were allowed to have their guns at work the situation could have ended there. But no, you got your way and they all died. And many of the kids in their care died too. Congratulations on your victory! I hope you are happy with the results. Let's do it to the rest of the country too.
Anyone who thinks guns don't kill people really isn't very rational or human.
How many guns have been tried for murder?
Not many, but then again, if your creation had the exclusive reason of destruction ( a GUN ) a conviction every time would be assured.
Guns do kill people when they are used by people.But then again,so do knives,bombs ,clubs,cars,what ever works as a makeshift weapon.
Interesting choice of words. If you were stranded on an island, would you prefer it to be with or without a firearm?
None of the alternatives you listed are as efficient at mass murder as a gun. The idea about controlling guns is not to prevent mass murder, it is to make it far less efficient. While we are on the subject, why did he not use the alternatives you listed? Umm, it is because he, like the rest of us knew that a gun would kill more people more efficiently and with the least effort on the assailants part.
If no one was on the island I would have no use for a gun. Also, assuming I was in my normal configuration at the time I was stranded, i would have my nonlethal weapons with me. If it where a matter of survival, I would not need a gun, there are a number of ways I could feed myself and defend against animals. It is called being trained in this stuff. I have found that having the training to deal with self defense and survival is far more valuable then having a gun.
So if a gun is a weapon of mass murder does that put it on the same table as a WMD?Using your description of course. Also you don't think you would need a gun if you were stranded in a strange land and the natives were hostile?Assume that the natives are also armed.
Dear Mr. Bill Gates,
I’m sure you’re saddened by the loss of precious young lives and those teachers and staff members who lovingly care for them at Sandy Hook Elementary. As a former elementary school pr...
incipal, my heart aches as I think of the school community.
As a brilliant successful entrepreneur, who has the ability and resources, I implore you to use them to develop and install technology in each public school that will enable staff members to screen each person that wants to enter the school building. I understand that some schools have screening devices, but the present systems are not adequate. I’m sure you, your colleagues, others with funds, can offer the leadership to work immediately to cause such an effort to begin. The effect will be felt nationwide by almost every citizen, especially those that are most precious, our children and grandchildren.
If I can help in any minor way, I want to be the first to offer my humble contribution.
Please know you can make a difference if you take a leadership role.
Thanks for your consideration,
Kathy Poff
Are you a vegetarian?
What weapon is nonlethal?
I agree with you that having a firearm is not necessary for survival. As is the case with most inventions, it is a convenience rather than a necessity. Any survival training (and yes, I have had some) includes the instruction to make the best use of the resources at hand. I maintain that survival is easier with training and a firearm than it is with only the training. Less time spent making snares and fishing means more time to devote to building shelter and building beacons for potential rescuers.
Yes, in a way, guns are a form of WMD. Generally though,the difference is in the number of dead a weapon can inflict. There is a reason that Anthrax is not something you can buy at a corner store.. It is because it is DEADLY and it can easily kill 100s 1000s or 10s of thousands of people. A hand gun is also something that should not be as easy as a corner store visit with a laughable waiting time and only a back ground check. The sale of guns should be only done by the government it's self and in accordance with strict carry laws.
Each weapon sold should be rated by it's potential to inflict mass casualties and those weapons with higher ratings should be progressively harder to obtain. In fact, strict control should be placed on any gun that has a load capability of more then 6 shots and can be reloaded by clip.
I am also for mandatory inspections at random of the facilities of gun owners to keep their guns locked up and safe. A gun owner registry that can be accessed by the general public is also warranted. I want to know who around me has a weapon and I want detailed information about their criminal history and any metal condition they may have had in the past ( even temporary).
I can think of a load more things we can do to make having a gun a safer proposition, but you get the idea. Your 2end amendment right to bare arms dose not override my 14th amendment rights to LIFE.
This is an easy search online. Anything from pepper spray to concussion shock based weapons. I lean towards a combo of concussion, blinders, and physical close in self defense measures.
In the case of being on an island and having a gun, I would still not want to use it for hunting. I would want my limited Ammo to last. I assume I am not on an island with an ammo store.
Hey kids. You. The Ones that left us today. The ones who experienced the worst that humanity can do. You little angels who closed your eyes in a living Hell this morning. I'm so, so very sorry that this world didn't give you a chance.
You would've never known me. But in all of this overwhelming sadness of today, I just want to let you all know that you matter. Even though you didn't even have a chance to realize how big the world is, today, the sad end of your lives affected MILLIONS of people. It's probably little comfort for you at all, but tonight in America, in Europe, in Asia, in Africa, Australia....everywhere.... mommies are holding their kids a little tighter and a little longer. Daddies are listening to their kids and showing them more love.
You twenty little souls were set free this morning and there is nothing good that could be said about that. But because you left, and the way you were taken, millions of kids still here on Earth tonight will be shown more love than any other ordinary Friday.
Your short and precious lives had a value and a purpose.
Godspeed
Beautifully written Becky wish I could give you a million more vote ups (but it IS a little early for you to be making me cry again!)
But I believe everything you said was true, I can't wait for my daughter to get home, not having her here to hug tight makes it sadder, and then I think of those poor parents who will never agin get to hold on to their sweet babies, it breaks my heart.
Crazy people, if you want to kill someone please do us all a favor and start with yourself!
Hi!... I know how some things go with the winds of the internet and spread like wildfire. But whenever you are about to share a bit of written text, it is your duty to cite the author, or present "author unknown". Becky McCall, you have posted my words without the courtesy of offering credit to me, or acknowledging that you don't know the authorship. That's an unkind thing to do. Please do a little research and give credit or remove it from your posting. You can find the original text on my Facebook page - look for Matthew Nicholas. Thanks!
As a public health physician at the National Institutes of Health, I have studied violence for the past twenty years; here is a link to the article I published last month describing a no-nonsense plan to stop the violence.
why do we have to hear about this ad nauseam? tragic, yes, but the media makes it worse. condolences are in order for the families affected and folks who live there, but the rest of us need to avoid the sensational madness and maintain the status quo. this tragedy isn't about us, it's about people most of us don't know. And while we can feel empathy and compassion, we shouldn't be shaken or depressed but, rather, try to remain calm and strong especially for our kids.
This could be about anyone of us. That is the reality that every parent on the planet has been forcibly reintroduced too. Sorry, but the status quo dose not cut it anymore and we are now awake. What comes of this will undoubtedly be uncomfortable for some to take but there will be change.
what the fuck does that mean?
Time after time, as this article points out, there will be those who take matters into their own hands, and choose to commit evil acts against innocent victims.Using the most efficient weapons available.When a person has set their mind to such a task, they will surely find a way. There will never be an absolutely completely fool proof method to stop such individuals from accomplishing their heinous acts.It is obvious no place is safe.Be it a tiny Amish community, sleepy quaint New England town, upscale suburb or busy jam backed holiday mall.
Those killed range from the elderly to infant, religious to relations,in planned to improvised attacks. Regardless of where and when such murders occur and the wide differences they may have, and numbers involved they share two things at least in common. The murderer was determined to take out as many victims as possible by coming heavily prepared to do so. Second, breaking legal laws was never an issue. None of the killers was concerned about being charged afterward. Most killed themselves afterward or were killed while they kept shooting others.
Making stricter laws doesn't seem to be the issue. Such people will still find a way to commit their crimes. Ironically the Sandy Hook school had just installed a new security system. Yet this shooter still managed to murder 26 people. There may need to be a different type of security, such as detectors used by more city schools, to help deter or warn of such possible threats to schools. Or preventing doors from opening from the outside except one, which is monitored. As many schools look at what is feasible for ensuring students are protected while attending, it will probably take a multiple approach to reduce the real risk that exists today and help protect young lives from the evil that men will do.
I humbly pray that those parents who are struggling at this time, with the loss of their children, will be comforted and surrounded by family, friends and the community. So they may bear the awful burden no parent should ever have to carry. So in the days to come, they may find a sense of peace and healing, in the love and memories they have of their beloved children.
Ill put it to you this way.. In computer security, our job is not to make the computer impenetrable, our job is not to make intrusion imposable, it is to make it so hard that the probability of success is minimized.
Guns are an VARY efficient means of killing people. The object of new laws for guns would not be to keep gun deaths from happening, it would be to make it so hard to get a gun to use in the commission of a mass murder that people intending on killing will have to move to less efficient means to do the deed.
A bomb would have been vary dangerous to use in the commission of this crime and indeed, if a bomb was the only thing this guy could use to kill mass numbers of people his ambitions might have stopped right there. A knife is extremely inefficient at mass murder. It would have been unlikely that 27 people would be dead if he used a knife.. He could have tried to use a car, but the car would not have gone all the way into a class room. perhaps if people would have been in it's path when it went through the outer part of the building they would have been killed, but not 30 people..
The idea is to make it progressively harder to obtain the most efficient means to kill. The idea is NOT to think we can stop all killing.
*very
Also, criminals don't generally obey the law. He took the guns from the mother. What you're saying is make it more difficult for the mother to get the guns. She's got no problems, she's not mentally deranged, she's a law abiding U.S. citizen and yet you want to make her wade through more red tape. Do you think she bought the guns two days ago? I'm almost certain that she didn't. So changing gun laws will not change how or where psychopaths get their weapons (unless you think we should take all guns away and melt them or something, and good luck with that).
The media runs this 24/7 for days and creates worry needlessly among our youth and parents. The coverage also spurs copy cats.
You think it is the media that causes parents to worry after something like this? This would have gotten out to the world one way or the other. Parents are rightfully worried,as they should be, no matter where they live.
I'm sorry, I just can't buy the argument that free access to assualt weapons is not a problem. There is a cultural problem here. For whatever sick reason, guns are sexy to these people. My guess is they don't fantasize about rampaging with a baseball bat or a car. It's something about the guns. Why do people collect them, buy magazines about them? What is the allure? Beyond blood thirst, it seems like gun enthusiasts share a common trait, paranoia of everyone.
I agree with this, fedupwithkillers. There is no doubt that easy access to semiautomatic weapons is a problem. i find it ironic that it was his mother who bought all these weapons, unfortunately, even if someone passes a psychological test (but in fact, who really needs to own weapons like this????) they have children and relatives that can be unstable and also have access to these weapons. It is a scary world, there must be such emptiness in the souls and hearts of those who do such evil things.
This kind of nationalization and sensationalization of a local tragedy by the media is exactly how you create the next copycat killer, according to forensic psychologists.
I have something really ugly to say, but I believe it is true.
The Right wing loves violence and destruction. The NRA has said they can issue no statement until they know all the facts. Really? Not even an expression of grief? Nope, because they don't feel any grief. They feel that what happened was justified and satisfying.
These are the people we're up against. I think the title "Enemy of the Human Race" should come into wider use.
People like you created this. You just won't own up to it. You and yours decreed that those school office workers had to, by law, be unarmed sheep. The only one in the office with a gun was the Mother Murdering, Criminal, Psycho. Because the rest were law abiding citizens who respected the already existing laws and did not bring a gun to school. They were, as you wanted them, unarmed victims waiting for the first armed criminal to come in and kill them. if any of the office workers were allowed to have their guns at work the situation could have ended there. But no, you got your way and they all died. And many of the kids in their care died too. Congratulations on your victory! I hope you are happy with the results. Let's do it to the rest of the country too.
I guess I would look at the future on prevention for public schools. I have heard the most schools have only one classroom door so there is no escape route. Could that not be changed? And could a auto locking system be installed to prevent entrance into classrooms?
I was also wondering if the school had video?
michigan over nite passed a law to let people carry guns into schools and churches. google this. give you opinion
I was the victim of a violent crime. I can tell you that the experience never leaves you, regardless of all the counseling, medication, prayer, etc. When something like this happens it all comes rushing back...the memories, the terror, the pain and horror and powerlessness.
My beautiful little girl who is now a grown women called me for reassurance late last night. I can only say that I am blessed to have survived what I did to be able to have my daughter (and son.) I cannot answer the question "why?" for her. I can only tell her that there is no reasoning with that which is insanity. Some things we just have to leave for God to answer and forgive. But I can tell my daughter how much I love her, and remind her to be safe.
295 million in the USA, 60 million in the UK! More bombings in the UK per people, now what?
The UK has a tiny fraction of our gun violence and real and enforced gun control.
Do you think maybe there's a correlation??
Now is the time when everyone is asking why and how does an act like this happen. Don't look down the street at your local Gun Shop for the answer. Look at the movie industry and video game industry. Pay atterntion to what your kids are engaged in with these games on the market today.
We are crerating an entire generation of young minds who have litterly become mass murders on their computers everytime they turn them on and play some of these games that are available.
Movies are more graphic everytime a new one is produced. You can learn tactics and become hardened to killing in your own mind watching these movies but particularly playing these video games.
It is not gun control that is needed it is control over what we put into the minds of our people. I served 2 tours of duty in Viet Nam as a crew chief on Helicopters. I lived through the real horrors of war first hand everyday non stop. But the differance between being a combat vet and playing the games and watching movies portrayting death and destruction is you live combat. You watch people die you smell death you are tramatized to the core of your soul. You never forget never. but you have lived the true reality of it. I gained an entire new respect for weapons and what they are capable of. I have a weapons collection and have tremendous respect for those weapons. i have taught my grandchildren that respect. But they do not get access to these video games. or movies with wholesale killing portrayed in them.
If the young minds were playing games about proper use of guns and gun safety you would have an entire new generation of adults with the proper respect for weapons. But that type of video game would not be entertaining enough.
We are exposing our society to these videos of death and then blaming guns for it.
A kid playing a video game killing people does not see the true meaning of the act. To them it is entertaining until the day comes they choose to live out the act in reality.
Take the time to view what I am talking about you might see my point. One last note to those who think Obama was so sincere in his speech yesterday might find it interesting that he read it from a script. I can guarantee you I could stand up in front of the country right now and speak directly tpo everyone of you and tell you from my heart how terrible I feel about this unbelieveable event. I would not need a prepared speech and grand job of acting to sincerely convey to you all how I feel.
To everyone of the families and the entire community my prayers are with you!
UAW Shop Steward
To those who have lost love ones and those that are dealing with the aftermath of the horrible evil I ask God to bless you with the strength to get thru it. God bless you all!
"These are the people we're up against. I think the title "Enemy of the Human Race" should come into wider use."
Just who are you to speak for anyone but yourself. It would not make any difference what the NRA or the GOP says in your world. Wake up friend. You say you are a Shop Steward, well just how well are you doing your job by pointing you angst at those that I really doubt you know personally. Shame on you, speak for yourself.
The main problem is that we do not help those with mental health issues. Since the mid 80's, we do not have enough mental health facilities to help those that need it. Also because of a very few, religion has been treated to a seat in the alley next to the dumpster. How is that working out for us now??? Have you been taught the consequences of you actions? Have you taught your children that lesson?? These days we don't have winners or losers at Little League games for the youngest players. Life is not easy and not enough of us are teaching the difference between right and wrong. Life is hard if you don't know the rules. All the "Politically Correct rules being followed currently don't help learn the real realities of life. There is a real simple rule to follow. It is called the Golden Rule. To quote "DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE OTHERS DO UNTO YOU.
This isn't about more gun laws...It is more like..."The cat is already out of the bag" Guns are already out there in bad people's hands..(ie gang banger's, drug runners/dealer's, insert bad guys here). They aren't going to magically disappear.....And the more you take away from law abiding citizens the more you advertise to the lawless new targets. I for one am not going to be made a target..(BTW I am NOT a Repub). In AK I would hate to see someone try and take the guns from the citizens around here...not only are they used for subsistence hunting (getting food that you couldn't afford in the grocery store) they are for protection from the wild furries and those that would cause you harm (not enough cops around to get to you right away in most areas) When you say you can't understand why no guns please think about those that don't live in or close to big cities. I have lived in highly populated areas and I understand both sides to that argument. But now that I live in AK I know how important guns are.
Amid the push for more gun control in the wake of the Conn. shooting, it's important to remember the lesson gun control laws have taught us in other countries -- namely, that less guns lead to more crime.
We saw this clearly in Australia when Aussies were disarmed by de jure measures in 1997.
To accomplish this, the Australian government sponsored a $500 million buyback on all privately owned firearms that led to a ban. Australian politicians who supported the move "promised a lower crime rate once the ban was in place."
Did lower crime result? No. Instead armed robberies rose significantly and home invasions rose as well.
Moreover, assaults involving guns rose more than a 25% and murders with a gun rose nearly 20%.
If you think gun control is the answer I think you need to think again