Another mass shooting.....

[Brian37]

Speaking of PTSD. 

I think far too many think of that as strictly a battlefield thing. No, even with the trauma of being physically and or verbally abused as a kid, can cause a kid to grow up with severe mental issues, including but not limited to depression, eating disorders and trust issues, and can themselves go on to become abusive as adults.

But even the trauma of witnessing firearm accidents, or a suicide can cause family members and friends long term emotional trauma.

I witnessed this change in a co worker quite a few years ago. She was a buser at the breakfast joint I worked at. When I met her she was thin and fit. She got fired for not showing up one weekend. Turned out that weekend she witnessed her cousin blow his brains out in a driveway with a handgun. I only found out a year later when she showed up to eat there. I didn't recognize her at first. She had developed an eating disorder and gained weight. I am quite sure her witnessing her family member kill himself had a profound affect on her mental state.

Now, I have witnessed death myself, my mom. And that sucks too. But I'd say that watching someone's head explode like a watermelon suddenly is far more traumatizing than knowing a natural death is coming like my mom's was.

I don't think those on the far right understand there is a huge cost to tax payers protecting our flooded market as far as health insurance costs, emergency room costs, and the mental health care costs to those family members whom survive a family member dying by firearm.

Oh it's frighteningly common i have talked to School teachers , Prison Guards , Paramedics , Even my own colleagues  on the subject . It's unfortunate that after we got the military to acknowledge it .I'm now having to do the same to hospital ' Prisons, and even my own bosses .

I can remember talking to my mom's physical therapist at her nursing home, after she had died, he had expressed concern for the mental health of the staff, especially having to witness death on a regular basis. Unfortunately the more giant corporations buy up places like that, the less they give a shit about the staff. 

I don't know how doctors and EMTs and nurses and even nurses aids handle that over and over. But just like police and military, even they should have some professional support too. 

I think far too much of our modern marketing in the world sells the idea that humans are supposed to be super human, and the fact is we are not. Humans really need to face the fact that we ARE fragile and not bullet proof. We certainly evolved to overcome trauma, but we also cannot and should not treat physical or emotional trauma as something you can simply shake off.