The Role of PTSD in Large-Scale Shooting – Questions and Answers



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Only hours after former sailor Ian David Long killed himself and 12 other people at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday night, observers assumed that post-traumatic stress disorder had played a role in the # 39; attack. The Sheriff of Ventura County alluded to it. One of the former roommates from Long to Reseda mentioned it. Even the President of the United States has said. But psychology experts feel that it's premature to think that Mr. Long was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder – or that it could have prompted him to open fire in a bar filled with young adults. this man was suffering from PTSD or was being treated for PTSD, there was no reason to think that he was suffering from PTSD, "said Lisa Jaycox, behavioral scientist and clinical psychologist at Rand Corp. in Washington, which studies how people react to violence. The work showed that even among veterans who attended the fight, less than one in five suffered from PTSD. She also said that violent behavior was not a common symptom of this disorder. Jaycox spoke with the Los Angeles Times about myths and facts about PTSD. Q: Do we know for sure that Thousand Oaks' shooter was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder? We know that he has witnessed fighting in Afghanistan, but a small portion of people develop post-traumatic stress disorder after such an experience. In my own work, we looked at people recently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, about 14% of whom suffered from PTSD. This is not the norm. Q: Whenever a mass shooter has a military background, people are quick to blame for PTSD. Does this make sense? R: No There are about 20 symptoms associated with the disease. One of them is anger and irritability, but it is not the predominant image of posttraumatic stress disorder. Most people with PTSD are not violent. What is perhaps more relevant here is that military personnel who have violent explosions are more likely than others to own a firearm in private and to be very well trained with firearms. traumatic stress? A: I think it's a very human reaction to a traumatic event, then an inability to recover. Following a mass shot, I'm sure everyone who lived there will think about it constantly days and weeks after – dreaming, having trouble concentrating on work or relationships. But if these symptoms persist for more than a month, they are classified in the category ESPT.Q: What are the other symptoms? A: They are grouped into four zones. Relive the trauma, so flashbacks, nightmares, recurring thoughts. Then there is the excitement, which includes irritability, difficulty concentrating and difficulty sleeping. Another set of symptoms relates to withdrawal and numbness – feeling disconnected from people and emotionally blunted. And finally, avoid things that might remind you of the trauma – do not want to talk about it and avoid certain people and places. Q: Do most people with PTSD develop it as a result of military service? A: No. It is much more common. community violence, sexual violence, or sexual assault.We have worked in the Los Angeles County School System, which shows that one-third of children exposed to community violence suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. traumatic. Most of these children fly completely under the radar. It's the seventh year girl sitting quietly at her desk or the eighth grade boy playing basketball. Q: Are people with PTSD more likely to commit large-scale shootings? A: I would say no, but I do not think there is good data on this because these events are so rare. But again, there is not much risk of being violent when you have PTSD. Q: When we think of PTSD, we think mostly about the military. Why? A: Probably because they are more often described in the media and movies. In fact, women are more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder than men. Men are exposed to more accidents and injuries; they are more likely to be on the front lines or being assaulted with a firearm. But women are more likely to suffer from PTSD after interpersonal trauma. Being attacked by a colleague is not the same as a stranger attacking you. This implies not knowing who you can trust, while being attacked by a stranger is usually an isolated case .—- (This interview was changed for its length and clarity.) — © 2018 Los Angeles TimesVisit the Los Angeles Times on www.latimes.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC .—– PHOTO (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194):

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