Campus attack survivors should brace for emotional fallout: psychologist

Survivors of the Virginia Tech shooting that left 33 dead are likely to experience increasing fear, anxiety and anger in weeks to come, says a psychology professor who is counselling some of the students.

Russell T. Jones, a professor in the psychology department at Virginia Tech, told CBC News that emotional reactions of varying kinds are perfectly normal given an extremely abnormal situation a gunman who killed 32 people, then himself on the campus in Blacksburg, Va., on Monday.

Once the initial shock subsides, other emotions can come into play everything from confusion to depression to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, said Jones.

"What people attempt to do in these kinds of situations iswrap their arms around it to make sense of it, and unfortunately, that's a long and painful process for many individuals," said Jones, who began counselling a handful of the survivors immediately after the shootings.

Counsellors in these situations usually tell people that these types of feelings are perfectly normal, he said.

'As time goes on, that will become more of a reality and the levels of distress, anxiety, fear and anger are very likely to increase.' Russell T. Jones, a professor in the psychology department at Virginia Tech

"People don't realize and recognize and fully appreciate the extent of the loss that they have incurred," said Jones, a psychologist who is an expert on the effects of trauma on children.

"As time goes on, that will become more of a reality and the levels of distress, anxiety, fear and anger are very likely to increase."

Research shows that loss is the Number 1 cause of distress, Jones said.

He said survivors should not only talk to counsellors to express their feelings but also surround themselves with loved ones.

He also urged survivors to try to refrain from medicating themselves by taking drugs or consuming alcohol.

"We also warn individuals not to engage in inappropriate behavioral activity and self-medication, such as drinking and drugs," he said.

"We do know that there are good things that can be done to help individuals recover from the even most traumatic situations that they may experience."

Those good things include what Jones described as "becoming involved in their own recovery process," which means in part allowing themselves to take time to heal.

Jones said he has spoken to a couple of students who survived the shootings and a couple of families.

"We are seeing that there is a good bit of shock, grief and just disbelief," he said.

Right now, he is mainly doing a lot of listening, he said. Survivors are questioning why anybody would commit such a senseless act, he said.

"There are more questions than answers at this point."