The impact of school shootings on teens' mental health: "Let them speak."
ARLINGTON — The recent shooting death of a student at Bowie High School in Arlington stirred up a very real fear that exists in the minds of teenage students everywhere, according to TCU Psychiatrist and Professor Dr. Cheryl Hurd.
"The vast majority of teenagers now in America… well over 50 percent when surveyed by a variety including the National Institute of Mental Health fear a school shooting at this point," Hurd said. "Teenagers know what is going on, but they also feel less empowered. They are minors and there are restrictions on them and they don't have in their opinion access to safe things or safe places to go."
In North Texas, a recent string of school shootings and cases of on-campus violence has added to the concern about just how prevalent these events have become.
Hurd says teens are having to deal with the reality of death among their peers at an alarming rate even when it doesn't involve a school shooting.
In Keller ISD, Timber Creek High School's principal Shawn Duhon recently sent a letter to parents that read in part quote:
"It is with a heavy heart that I share the tragic news that one of our TCHS students passed away unexpectedly Tuesday evening."
The death noted, is that of a second student in a week at TCHS.
Hurd says now more than ever parents need to have discussions with their teens about the grim realities taking place.
"Let them speak," Hurd said. "Let them express their fears. Don't interrupt them … let them get it out and have that conversation with you as their parent."
She said studies show these fears are only getting worse for teens, saying, "As a society, we are less polite, less courteous and more likely to get angry over things that in the past were just brushed aside."
But the first step is always starting and open conversation about how all of the worries are affecting them, according to Hurd.