TIMES

TV viewers may suffer trauma BY NIGEL HAWKES, HEALTH EDITOR THE scale and suddenness of last week’s events in the United States could traumatise even those who only watched it on television, some psychologists believe.

“Everybody’s different, but, yes, it is possible to be badly affected by watching an event like this,” Leslie Carrick-Smith, a forensic psychologist and trauma expert, said.

“The fact that it came out of the blue, that the enemy is unknown and that it was such a huge and frightening event all exacerbate the psychological effects. Add to that the huge number of people who watched it and there are bound to be some who will be affected.”

The more immediate the experience, the more likely that people are to be traumatised. American studies have found that of people directly exposed to trauma, about a quarter develop some of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. They experience flashbacks or repeated nightmares in which the event is replayed, or become over-vigilant, reacting badly to a sudden noise or shock.

Not all specialists expect widespread effects. James Thompson, of Middlesex Hospital in London, said that he expects “a mild drop in mood and increased apprehensiveness”, which some patients will attribute to the disaster, but acting against that is the effect of greater social cohesiveness.

“People talk more and cluster together more after an event like this,” Dr Thompson said. “It’s as if we were all waiting together in the dentist’s waiting room, giving each other comfort.”

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2001

Answers

no one clusters in the dentist's office when I am there. No room with my bike in the waiting room. LOL

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2001