Ways To Respond: Tragic Events Can Be Triggers For Anxiety, Sadness

DETROIT (WWJ) - The Las Vegas attack is the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Hearing about this tragedy can remind you of past tragic events and affect how you feel.

We live in a time were we can have immediate access to tragic events as they unfold.

With so much tragedy from violence to natural disasters some people feel they're becoming desensitized says WWJ's Health Reporter Dr. Deanna Lites.

"This is a protective mechanism that we all have because there is so much sadness, so much hurt out there," says Dr. Joel Young a psychiatrist with Beaumont Hospital, "that we really can't respond to everything out there or we will be ineffective."

Young says you may be more affected by this event if you have a previous history of trauma.

"Seeing this event, hearing this event might trigger new symptoms of anxiety and depression, but for people who do not have that previous history we will take it as sad news, we will integrate it into our life."

He says to help you feel better, try to do something positive to help those affected: donate to an organization, get involved with a cause -- anything to empower yourself while at the same time helping others.