The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will release two videos Wednesday from the Oct. 24, 2022, shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School that left a student and teacher dead and seven others injured.
Health experts say the viewing of the videos may trigger symptoms of trauma in people, especially those who have had prior traumatic experiences.
Here are five tips from professionals on how to protect and care for yourself:
Take a moment to prepare yourself
Dr. Erick Messias, chair of the psychiatry department at St. Louis University School of Medicine and the chief medical officer of behavioral health for SSM, encourages people to use their moral frameworks to come up with a reason to view the videos.
“You want to think about, ‘Why am I doing this?’” he said. “Try to understand that this is not a meaningless exercise of voyeurism, but is an exercise to try to understand how people can do evil things.”
Madeline Stenersen, an assistant professor of psychology at St. Louis University, said people should not attempt to watch the video in the middle of a busy workday. That requires the mind to switch from something distressing back to an objective workspace where emotions need to be more under control, she said.
It’s also important to think about how you will cope after watching the video, said Bart Andrews, chief clinical officer at Behavioral Health Response, a nonprofit mental health care provider. If you are someone who processes your feelings through talking, it might be helpful to have trusted people available to have those conversations, he said.
It is natural to feel distressed after watching a video of a traumatic event
A very small percentage of people who view the videos will suffer serious effects such as suicidal thoughts, severe sleep deprivation and the inability to make decisions, Andrews said. Those who experience those symptoms should seek immediate mental health treatment, either by calling 988 or contacting their own provider. he said.
Most people will not suffer major mental health impacts, Andrews said. For people who are affected, most will suffer mild symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Common ones include hyperarousal, a loss of joy in everyday activities or flashbacks to the events seen in the video.
Most symptoms should fade in a day or two. It may be time to seek professional help if they begin to disrupt daily life, Stenersen said.
“The main goal for everybody would be to really be aware of the kind of changes within yourself and your well-being that happened, after maybe viewing some of this content or even thinking about viewing some of the content,” she said.
Andrews has a simple test.
“If you're having worse days more often than better days, that's a good indication that you probably should sit down and talk to a professional about what's going on,” he said.
There are resources available
People in immediate mental health crisis can call or text 988.
Individuals who are not in immediate crisis but may need someone to help them process their feelings can use what are known as “warm lines,” Stenersen said. The Missouri Department of Mental Health and the National Alliance on Mental Illness both have lists of treatment providers, and many employers offer employee assistance programs.
Watch for behavioral changes in children
Kids these days are internet natives who will have absolutely no problem finding the videos online, said Messias.
“The first thing parents can do is have an open line of communication to their kids,” he said.
Messias urged parents to watch for changes in behavior, including increased social isolation or avoiding social activities they previously enjoyed.
“It’s normal that teens stay in their rooms longer than we think is healthy,” he said with a laugh. “Be concerned if it becomes even more pronounced.”
It’s OK to not watch the videos
“There can be societal pressure to make sure that we watch this, and that’s our action to be involved, to make sure that this doesn’t happen again,” Stenersen said. “But there are many, many other things that people can do.”
The recordings will not disappear, said Dr. Hari Nallapaneni, chief medical officer for CareSTL Health.
“So if today is not the right day to watch it, don’t watch it today,” he said. “Reevaluate in a week, in a month, and when you’re ready, you’d want to do it.”
