What research says about mass shootings and mental health
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – As we continue to learn more about the mass shooting at Michigan State University and the gunman who killed three students and injured several others, we wanted to take a look at how mass shootings are affecting our mental health.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have already been 68 mass shootings in the United States this year alone, including the mass shooting that killed 11 people in Monterey Park California, another in Half Moon Bay California that killed 7 people and the mass shooting at Michigan State University Monday night.
"It's common and it would be expected to have fear after we hear news stories after yet another mass shooting," said Dr. Susan Fletcher, a licensed psychologist.
A 2019 American Psychological Association survey found that a third of American adults say fear of a mass shooting prevents them from going to some public places or events.
"I think we are seeing part of our population continue to have elevated fear that may interfere with everyday functioning," said Dr. Fletcher.
Dr. Susan Fletcher is a licensed psychologist who participated in Governor Greg Abbott's roundtable discussions following the mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart in 2019. We asked her if she thinks Americans are becoming desensitized to mass shootings.
"I think what we're more likely to see is that we will all have the continued response of fear and compassion related to shootings," said Dr. Fletcher. "What I'm concerned about is that as time goes on, we'll have that initial concern and fear and that it might go away and I hope that that wouldn't happen, not because I want people to walk around being afraid, because we need to be able to address the fear that we feel and come up with solutions to manage that fear."
So how can you control your fear following a mass shooting?
"Talk openly about our fears with people that are close to us, people that are credible, it doesn't have to be a mental health professional," said Dr. Fletcher. "If going into a large grocery store right now feels too scary, talk about where you can go, make sure you don't just stay in the house, talk about where you do feel safe, talk about what you need to do to feel safe."
Dr. Fletcher says we can also use our fear in a productive way.
"A little bit of fear is okay because it can add to the energy to do something to look for solutions," said Dr. Fletcher. "One of the things is to vote, make sure you vote in elections. Another thing is to get educated on the issues."