More than fifty-eight percent of Americans, both old and young, have experienced trauma related to gun violence. Firearms kill more people in the US as compared to the other nations of the world. Just as more people are killed, many of them also survive gunshot wounds. This violence may affect the lives of the victims as well as those of the people around them. Gunshot-related trauma takes many forms, which include physical trauma, emotional trauma, and psychological trauma. In this paper, I am focusing on psychological trauma, which affects a victim of gun violence. An example of such a victim as follows below.
John, a twenty-year-old man, attended a friend’s birthday party held in a nightclub in Florida. An argument broke out, and one of the guests pulled a firearm and fired several shots, leaving John severely injured and claiming the lives of ten people. After days, John is still nursing the gun wounds, and since that incident, John’s life has never been the same. He is now suffering from psychological trauma that has adversely changed his life.
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Psychological trauma caused by gun violence
Psychological trauma is damage to the mind, which may occur as a result of a distressing event; for example, terror attacks and gunshot-related violence. This is a widely known form of trauma as compared to the other types. It affects individuals without limitation to age or gender. Every year, the US registers millions and millions of individuals suffering from psychological trauma in response to gun violence. Victims of gun-related violence suffer psychologically in the sense that those who are left paralyzed are likely to be abandoned. There are many cases where married couples file for divorce after one individual is found paralyzed. Children who are in such kind of situations are, in most cases, left behind by their parents when visiting public places (Braga, A., Wintemute, G., Pierce, G., Cook, P., & Ridgeway, G. (2012). Fear is another effect of this kind of trauma whereby individuals are likely to fear places where the event occurred. In John’s case, he was traumatized to the extent that he could not go out into crowded areas. He also had to avoid watching movies that had gun-related stories and also feared gun-related forms of noise.
These victims also are profoundly affected by unwanted flashbacks and nightmares. John narrates that every time he could go to bed, he could dream about everything that happened on that fateful day. Pictures of his friends lying lifeless on the floor in a pool of blood never left his mind. Depression is another effect of psychological trauma in such individuals (Doucette, M., Bulzacchelli, M., Frattaroli, S., & Crifasi, C. (2019). They are characterized by low moods, a feeling of sadness, and a lack of interest in many other things. Individuals in this condition are, in most cases, found staring into space and in deep thought without any logical explanation for what they are staring at or thinking about.
Another psychological effect of gun violence-related trauma is the loss of memory and the ability to concentrate fully. They are so forgetful due to low concentration abilities and lack of interest in what they hear (Patricia D. Cunningham, S. (2019). They are also disoriented and confused most of the time since their mind concentrates much on what they went through and nothing else. Such victims will also suffer from tremendous fatigue exhaustion, and changes in eating and sleeping patterns. They also experience an overwhelming fear of anger and anxiety, as well as panic attacks.
Effects of the psychological trauma of gun violence on victims
Victims of gun violence go for many years living with the psychological trauma caused by the distressful events they went through. If this condition is not treated, it can significantly affect the individual’s life as well as the people around him or her. Some of the effects of untreated psychological trauma are as follows. Substance abuse and alcoholism, whereby the victims seek refuge and consolation in activities like smoking, drinking, and abuse of drugs like cocaine and heroin. This can be very dangerous to an individual as it can lead to drug addiction and alcohol use disorder (Monuteaux, M., Lee, L., Hemenway, D., Mannix, R., & Fleegler, E. (2015). There is also a problem of hostility and constant arguments with loved ones. People suffering from this type of trauma are very hostile, troublesome, and like arguing. They are unable to maintain a healthy relationship with their family members as well as their friends. Individuals in this state suffer from social withdrawal, constant feelings of being threatened, and hopelessness. They may also suffer from the inability to make healthy lifestyle choices because they feel ineffective in matters dealing with their lives.
Many victims of gun violence-related trauma feel like their lives will never be the same again. On the contrary, everything about them can change if they choose to seek help. This form of trauma can be treated, and the victim can have his or her life back to its normal state (Parikh K, e. (2019). Healthcare professionals and laypersons can help address this problem using the following therapy approaches and other related approaches.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy- This form of therapy is used to treat depression, which is a common problem in gun violence victims who have lost meaning in their lives. During this therapy, the patient can talk freely about their fears and their most significant worries. This therapy helps improve self-esteem among victims and reduces their fears allowing them to visit the places they fear most.
Somatic Experiencing- This therapeutic approach aims at reducing the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and other health-related problems. This method of treatment creates awareness and releases physical and emotional tensions that victims face after the trauma. It also helps in improving the mental health of the victims of gun violence-related trauma.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy - This form of therapy works well with victims who have who fear their past traumatic events related to gun violence. This therapy gives them the chance to confront such areas and situations without any fear.
Trauma Groups- In addition to the therapy sessions, the survivors of gun violence can also get help by having a support group. This can bring healing by connecting with others who have gone through the same situation. This will help them not to isolate themselves and reduce their feelings of avoidance.
Quality of sources
My sources are of high quality as they give detailed and very reliable information on the psychological trauma of gun violence by giving its meaning symptoms and effects. The sources also give relevant examples of victims of this condition and the therapeutic measures to be used in treating the disease (Eady, A., Wilczynski, N., & Haynes, R. (2019). The authors in the sources try to give a clear view of what people go through and the reason why the government needs to solve the problem of gun violence. My sources are not biased in any way; the issues addressed can affect both males and females and young and old, not favoring any factor against the other.
Conclusion
Gun violence is among the significant causes of death in many States. People who survive from gunshots are left with too much suffering. Gun violence-related trauma affects both the victims directly involved and those indirectly involved. The psychological trauma that victims face may make them feel tempted to use alcohol and other drugs as a solution, but this makes the situation even worse. Individuals need to only focus on healthy measures, which include therapies and connection with others. The government should also seek ways that can help reduce these cases and hence save the lives of many innocent individuals.
References
- Braga, A., Wintemute, G., Pierce, G., Cook, P., & Ridgeway, G. (2012). Interpreting the Empirical Evidence on Illegal Gun Market Dynamics. Journal Of Urban Health, 89(5), 779-793. doi: 10.1007/s11524-012-9681-yPMID: 22669643
- Doucette, M., Bulzacchelli, M., Frattaroli, S., & Crifasi, C. (2019). Workplace homicides committed by firearm: recent trends and narrative text analysis. Injury Epidemiology, 6(1). doi: 10.1186/s40621-019-0184-0
- Eady, A., Wilczynski, N., & Haynes, R. (2019). PsycINFO search strategies identified methodologically sound therapy studies and review articles for use by clinicians and researchers. Retrieved 17 October 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2707117/
- Monuteaux, M., Lee, L., Hemenway, D., Mannix, R., & Fleegler, E. (2015). Firearm Ownership and Violent Crime in the U.S. American Journal Of Preventive Medicine, 49(2), 207-214. doi 10.1016/j.amepre.2015.02.008.
- Parikh K, e. (2019). Pediatric Firearm-Related Injuries in the United States. - PubMed - NCBI. Retrieved 17 October 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28536190
- Patricia D. Cunningham, S. (2019). Evaluation of Mood Disorder Patients in a Primary Care Practice: Measures of Affective Temperament, Mental Health Risk Factors, and Functional Health in a Retrospective, Descriptive Study of 35 Patients. Retrieved 17 October 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2707117/
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