Interfaith Prayer Service for OK Tornado Victims - Coping With Tragedy
First, some questions younger children might ask:
What are we going to do?
Where will we stay?
What about my pets?
Where is my stuffed animal?
What about my friends?
Will my stuffed animals be hurt? Are they scared too?
Where did that person go when she died?
And also, they might ask ‘Why did this happen? Will it happen again?
Now, imagine what they are thinking and feeling, and what they need at those moments to cope. Next, imagine the questions that adults might be asking (and notice the similarities):
What are we going to do?
Where will we stay?
What about my pets?
How can I get my child’s stuffed animal back?
What about my friends?
Does anyone else feel the way I do?
What happens when we die?
Why did this happen? Will it happen again?
How do I move forward and feel safe about the future?
Coping is related, often, to whether those questions are answered, and how they are answered. Answering these questions may or may not be enough at all times for the people we see. We must understand, too, that some questions will have no answers. After a traumatic event like a disaster, the NIH estimates that 6% to 33% will develop an acute stress disorder that significantly impacts functioning within the first month. A smaller percentage here may go on to show chronic problems related to the events that we call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The majority of us will eventually recover with no long-term problems. However, our children and our elderly are most vulnerable to negative impact, both physically and psychologically. Those who have felt personal loss, especially lives of loved ones, are at greatest risk of difficulty generally. And those with past traumatic experiences, or pre-existing mood or psychological problems are at great risk as well. We see amazing resilience in many, but some have a very difficult time recovering. Some difficulties faced by those hardest hit include:
Sleeping problems and nightmares, and change in appetite
Anxiety, panic at times, and depression
Feeling that things are not real around them, or they are not really ‘in control’ of themselves
Irritability, aggression, or withdrawal and Isolation
Behavior resembling a stupor, hyper-alertness and hyper-vigilance