Ann E. Norwood said she is not surprised that some Americans are having difficulty coping with constant images of a new war coupled with the looming threat of additional terrorist attacks on American soil.
Last Friday, Norwood, the associate chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of Health and Sciences in Bethesda, Md., discussed the psychological impact of the Sept. 11th attacks as part of the three-day terrorism forum at The University of Memphis’ Fogelman Executive Center.
Before nearly 40 spectators, including U of M students, faculty and media representatives, Norwood covered such topics as common responses to terrorist attacks and the mental health of those exposed to the devastation in both New York and Washington DC.
During Norwood’s presentation, she said that traumatic experiences such as Sept. 11 often trigger reactions such as anger, sadness, fear, loss of concentration or sleep and anxiety.
“These are not pathological (responses),” Norwood said. “These are normal human responses. It isn’t a disorder to most — it’s just a human response to such a horrible event.
Post-traumatic psychological disorders include depression and substance abuse such as alcohol and smoking. Norwood said after the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995, over 50 percent claimed to develop such symptoms of post-traumatic psychological disorders.
Norwood also said while such responses are common during traumatic experiences, such feelings will subside over time.
“One of the psychological goals of terrorism is to create a sense of vulnerability and terror in people,” Norwood said. “Another goal of terrorists is to undermine our belief in our social structure and government.”
Along with creating a sense of vulnerability, Norwood also said such attacks can lead to mass panic.
Norwood said panic among people affects their behavior by creating intense fear and a loss of social organization and roles.
Also, a loss of credibility of the authorities can cause mass panic in times of distress.
While mass panic can open the opportunity to more chaos, Norwood said such panic is rare and in did not surface in cases such as the first World Trade Center bombing, Oklahoma City bombing and Sept. 11.
When dealing with such tragedies as the terrorist acts, Norwood said the most psychological disorders are caused by threat to human life, exposure to the dead or direct exposure to the event.
The groups most susceptible to such trauma are rescue workers, children, medical personnel, those injured in the event and members of the media, according to Norwood.
Also since Sept. 11th, the number of television viewers has increased by approximately 300 percent. Norwood said because of this, the media may be inadvertently increasing the psychological stress on the American population.
Norwood said images and coverage of the events can inspire “copycat” crimes or produce sensationalism. By doing so, the media may unintentionally further the terrorists’ goals, as well as encouraging stereotyping by identifying terrorists with certain groups.
Although Norwood said the media may have a negative impact on people’s mental health, it has also had its share of positive effects.
“Showing workers reuniting families is very important, and controlling the rumors is helpful,” Norwood said. “Also, catching the perpetrators has a very salutary effect on people.”
