A shooting incident at a school in Texas has claimed the lives of 19 children and two adult individuals, including a faculty member and the gunman, while injuring many others. This is the deadliest primary school shooting in the United States since Sandy Hook 10 years ago.
In connection to this, MetroWest Daily News reported on children experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD after a shooting incident at school.
It specifies that PTSD is a condition where a patient is experiencing substantial cognitive behaviors and, or other symptoms resulting from a reaction to a traumatic occurrence.
It can happen in patients of any age and takes place in children. The diagnosis is based on the patient with several criteria.
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A young girl holds flowers outside the Willie de Leon Civic Center, where people gather to mourn in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. - A teenage gunman killed 19 young children in a shooting at an elementary school in Texas on Tuesday, the deadliest US school shooting in years.
Children's Exposure to Traumatic Occurrence
One of these criteria was exposure to a traumatic occurrence that the patient identifies as having caused them substantial stress, whether due to direct or indirect exposure to emotional, psychological, physical, or spiritual harm.
Notably, this particularly notes that the event is as interpreted by the patient; there is no "absolute" type of event required.
They are experiencing the event again through intrusive memories and nightmares, among others. They attempt to avoid a similar experience, even having their behavior changed, to do so.
Their mood, thinking, and, or other psychological functioning are affected; for instance, they may feel depressed, anxious, start having difficulty in social or work situations, and more.
Children as Victims
Just under 600 children study at Robb Elementary School, an almost pure-residential neighborhood, covering Grades 1, 2, and 4, as reported in ABC News.
The victims' exact ages have not been made public yet. It was not immediately clear, though, how many people were injured.
Much of the knowledge about PTSD is based on studies of adults, an American Psychological Association report specified.
As evidenced by the birth of fresh scientific disciplines, for instance, developmental translation neuroscience, it is clear that what's learned from adult studies may not necessarily apply to adolescents and children.
PTSD in Children
Indeed, the field of adolescent and child PTSD and trauma is relatively young, even though the knowledge base has boosted substantially over the past 20 years.
Furthermore, members of the task force have recognized that mental health professionals may have a lot of different perspectives on child and adolescent trauma, specifically in regard to the specific nature of its impacts and what interventions may be most effective in lessening negative outcomes enhancing adaptive functioning.
Treating PTSD patients, including kids, is focused on trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and for kids exposed to gun violence occurring in schools, a program of Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools, or CBITS, is advantageous.
Related information about trauma in children due to the Texas school shooting incident is shown on CBS News's YouTube video below:
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