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Articles on PTSD and first responders

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The mass shooting at a dance studio in Monterey Park, Calif., is the latest in an endless string of gun violence tragedies. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Horror and anguish are playing out on repeat following the latest mass shooting – and the mental health scars extend far beyond those directly affected

Even people who are only indirectly exposed to these repeat tragedies, such as first responders and those affected by media coverage, can experience profound and long-lasting grief.
The latest mass shooting, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has plunged the country into yet another cycle of collective trauma. Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images News via Getty Images

Mass shootings leave behind collective despair, anguish and trauma at many societal levels

People who are directly affected by mass shootings may develop PTSD and depression. But those who are indirectly exposed to these tragedies can also experience profound and long-lasting grief.
Toxic dust hung in the air around ground zero for more than three months following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Anthony Correia/Getty Images

9/11 survivors’ exposure to toxic dust and the chronic health conditions that followed offer lessons that are still too often unheeded

Those directly exposed to toxic dust and trauma on and after 9/11 carry with them a generation of chronic health conditions, which are placing them at higher risk during the pandemic and as they age.
Brent Thompson, an officer with Dallas Area Rapid Transit, was one of five police officers killed Thursday. LinkedIn via Reuters

A tragic reminder that policing takes a toll on officers, too

The shooting deaths of five police officers in Dallas are a tragic reminder of the dangers that police face. They pay a price in mental and physical health.

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