Physicians anticipate an increase on the number of patients who witnessed the Boston Marathon bombings even if the incident happened over a month ago.
Boston is now recovering and most people are now living a normal life as if nothing has happened last April 15, 2013. Even the media has moved on too. But for thousands of people who had seen and experience the explosion of two rice cookers near the finish line of the Marathon, the dilemma has just begun.
Psychiatrists explained that over 30 days after the incident, those people may show signs of recurrent anxiety such as restlessness, impatience, and either severe depression or resentment which is all associated with the disorder. This is normal because emotional trauma, medically known as post-traumatic stress disorder, usually manifests itself several weeks and even months after the painful incident.
Unfortunately, they will not be able to use The One Fund to pay for the psychological or psychiatric assistance. The government assures that other alternatives will be given to those affected which may endure the emotional trauma their entire lives.
Emotional trauma varies depending on the situation and the capacity of the person to deal with stress. Most psychiatrists estimated that 20 percent of the people present in the bombing are likely to show signs but some opposed saying it may be lower.
The distance of the witness may suggest if a person may be affected. One thing is certain, those who are really near the bomb will suffer from severe emotional stress as they may have considered it a near-death experience.
The patients should be alarmed once the signs persist and worsen to include passive resistance, or disturbance.
While anti-depressants and sleeping pills may help at some cases, patients should do regular physical activities, sleep and mind-body interventions such as hypnosis, yoga, and therapy to minimize the impact of emotional stress.
