The following can help those working in crisis situations generate empathy for those people they are trying to help that are in a crisis, experiencing trauma and suffering from a mental illness:
I’ve treated individuals who experienced gun violence. They have brutal nightmares and can experience debilitating shock when someone is behind them in the grocery store. Their lives are wrecked by fear. Neurobiological processes imprint memories of the event, and can be triggered at any given moment. I’ve also treated mothers who have lost children. They’ve been hospitalized for thoughts of suicide and severe symptoms of distress and depression. Their lives hold pain and darkness, even 30 or more years later. They often lose motivation to work, and struggle especially in the days surrounding the anniversary of the tragedy.
The problem is that mental illness affects individuals and families. It affects entire communities...
Read more from Luming Li/the Hartford Courant [HERE].