Psyches Shatter Too

I’ve been outraged by the random senseless killings of gun violence in our streets but apparently like many, haven’t thought about the impact on the wounded survivors or the unfortunate witnesses, including children. So I am grateful to Alex Kotlowitz who explores this theme in a New York Times editorial on February 24.

According to Kotlowitz, also author of There Are No Children Here (considered one of the most important books of the last century), we have only begun to recognize the psychological impact of living in the perilous city streets, especially Chicago, a kind of “unspoken war zone”.

Violence shatters the psyche as well as the body. Relationships with friends and family are unpredictably disrupted. The child can’t assume people will be “there” for him and his sense of trust is impaired. In addition to lost relationships, the children loose their ability to concentrate on schoolwork. In short, the capacity to love and work, cornerstones of healthy functioning, disintegrate.

Mental anguish is invisible and often misunderstood. These factors add to the burden and suffering of isolation and shame. (Many patients I’ve treated over the years have wished to substitute a physical injury for their psychological distress. Their invisible suffering has left them feeling alone and isolated and deprived of the emotional support from families and friends.)

An example of failing to appreciate physic distress, is the fact that post-traumatic stress disorder wasn’t recognized as a valid syndrome, requiring treatment until 1980. (Please refer to my blogs of  September 10, 2012, “Post-Traumatic Stress, Some Themes & Variations," and February 18, “One Giant Fallacy.”) 

Fueled by (unacknowledged) feelings of powerlessness and insecurity, the victimized  adult or child may become a perpetrator of violence himself.  And so the violent cycle expands like ripples in a stream.

In brief, we need to treat not only the visible, physical wounds but the invisible, psychological wounds which may prove as deadly.

Conclusion: Although our understanding of psychological trauma has evolved over the years, an appreciation of the  psychological  fall-out from gun violence is just beginning to surface. This includes the enormous detrimental impact on  our children.

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