Abstract
This study examined the longitudinal course of psychiatric sequelae of a mass shooting incident at a courthouse. A sample of 80 individuals was examined 6–8 weeks after the incident and 77 of these were reassessed one and three years later using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule/Disaster Supplement. Only 5% of the study sample met criteria for PTSD after this incident. Universal distress, however, was evident as 96% of the respondents reported PTSD symptoms and 75% described the incident as “very upsetting.” The need for intervention among symptomatic individuals not meeting diagnostic criteria should not be discounted as subdiagnostic distress may warrant specific intervention.
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Johnson, S.D., North, C.S. & Smith, E.M. Psychiatric Disorders Among Victims of a Courthouse Shooting Spree: A Three-Year Follow-Up Study. Community Ment Health J 38, 181–194 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015269521969
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015269521969