Suffolk County

Mass shootings taking a mental toll on Americans

BOSTON, Mass. — They may seem relatively rare, but mass shootings — defined as four or more persons shot or killed — have already happened more than 200 times this year in the U.S., according to the independent group gunviolencearchive.org.

It’s a number that invites, well, numbness. But clinical psychologists tell Boston 25 News that would be a terrible way for Americans to react to the latest — or any future — mass shooting.

“Unacknowledged trauma comes out in other ways,” said Inna Khazan, PhD, a clinical psychologist in Boston. “When we’re faced with scary, traumatic events, it takes a lot of courage to be able to experience our own feelings — to sit with the horror of what’s happening.”

That’s why Khazan said it’s okay to not feel okay in the aftermath of the Texas school massacre — in fact, it’s almost necessary.

“Because these events are not OK,” she said. “And it’s important for us to not be OK for a bit — to sit with just how horrible this feels.”

Amanda Brown, PhD, a clinical psychologist and director of the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital agrees.

“Definitely, ignoring our feelings is harmful,” Brown said.

Also potentially harmful, she said, is trying to make sense of something senseless.

“We kind of become consumed by trying to get more information or trying to figure things out,” Brown said. “And oftentimes, really, it’s working on the opposite. It’s tolerating the lack of certainty that we have.”

And that can be frightening, said Khazan.

“It’s really scary to think this might happen at your child’s school,” she said. “It’s terrifying to think this might be the phone call that you would get. We can’t hide from the fact it happens.”

In fact, it’s happened so much that Khazan thinks it’s affecting the national psyche.

“It’s impacting our mental health in really dangerous, detrimental ways,” she said.

And this trauma comes atop the ongoing pandemic — which, itself, has created a mental health crisis in the U.S.

“It feels like we all in this society have been keeping our feet on the gas pedal for a couple of years now,” Brown said. “And then this happens. Being able to actually lift our foot fully off the gas pedal is a really helpful thing.”

Brown said at a time like this, she is a big advocate of hope.

“Holding an optimistic outlook or at least trying to is really important,” she said. “And that’s where looking for pleasurable activities, social connections — all these things can instill hope.”

Brown said it’s also important not to discount the little things that can help ease anxiety and thus trauma — such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation and even just taking a walk.

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