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Fort Hood Crisis: mental health and how to help
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Fort Hood soldiers comfort each other during the crisis
The Fort Hood shooting is one of the largest shooting incidents to take place on a U.S. military installation. As of press time, 13 are dead and dozens are wounded after an Army psychiatrist opened fire on fellow soldiers.
When tragedies like this happen, the mental state of those involved is always of concern. Mental problems can occur for days, months or even years after such an event. Here are some key points to consider if you were or know someone related to the Fort Hood tragedy :
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. PTSD can happen if you are in a dire situation of helplessness or inability to help where severe trauma or imminent death can take place. This shooting took place in a processing center where soldiers prepare for deployment. A vast majority was not armed, and many had probably been on combat tours before. To witness a massacre at home and feel helpless despite all the training and combat experience can be traumatic. Many who died were also fellow soldiers and comrades of the witnesses. These experiences and feelings can lead to PTSD symptoms such as restlessness, recurring nightmares, hypervigilance and even substance abuse as a form of self-medication.
Anxiety. The surrounding community members to include military family and civilians working on base might feel a smaller sense of security on base. The reality is that this attack was a very isolated incident and that military installations are generally safe and secure. However, the Fort Hood community could still experience anxiety and fear. This leads to hyper-vigilance and anxiety over anticipating the next attack. These feelings are normal after a tragedy and are warranted. If anxiety symptoms such as extreme worry or panic attacks persist for several weeks after, counseling may be needed to help alleviate symptoms.
How To Help. If you know someone who was related to the Fort Hood tragedy, offer support where possible to help restore a sense of normalcy. However, do not try to force them to talk about what happened; if they are suffering from PTSD, recalling the moment could seem very real in their minds. Encourage them to seek counseling and offer to be an ear for them to express their feelings. Sometimes listening is the best support you can give. If they had children, offer child care to help them get some time alone and away from “crisis mode”. Prepare dinner meals to give them more time to reconnect with their remaining family members. You may not have been part of the tragedy, but you can help those who were recover from it.
Here is a list of crisis help numbers in the immediate Fort Hood area.
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