If you witnessed the Bondi Hanukkah attack, here’s what you might be going through
- Written by: Chelsea Arnold, Clinical Psychologist and Research Fellow (Lead Clinician), Monash University
Many hundreds of people were at Bondi beach on Sunday when 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration, killing 15 people.
Many witnesses saw people be seriously injured or die. These experiences are considered traumatic events, even when you don’t know the person who was harmed.
While some people will be able to process such events with some coping strategies, others will will find their extreme distress impacts their mental health.
If you witnessed the Bondi Hanukkah attack, here’s what you might be going through – and when you might need additional support.
Traumatic events impact us differently
People who witnessed the attacks may be affected in different ways.
Factors that make people more vulnerable to traumatic responses, such as extreme distress or mental health challenges, include:
What you might be experiencing
In the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event, it’s normal for people to have heightened emotions. Some people might feel upset or overwhelmed, or experience a low mood.
People might feel very fearful or anxious, and feel they need to constantly check their environment for signs of threat.
Witnessing or experiencing traumatic events can impact your ability to complete everyday tasks. People may feel disorientated or have intrusive thoughts about the event. These experiences can change over time and vary from day to day.
While these responses can be distressing and disruptive, they’re our brain’s attempt to make sense of what we experienced. Our brains are designed to keep us safe, so after a threat to our safety, it makes sense we’re on high alert.
What to do in the weeks after a traumatic event
Social and emotional support tends to be the most helpful option for most people to get through and reduce the impact of traumatic events. So lean on your personal network.
Exercising can also be helpful in preventing negative mental health issues after a traumatic event.
Exposure to media about the traumatic event, particularly graphic images and videos, is linked with worse mental health outcomes. Limiting your media consumption is particularly important for people directly linked to the attack.
Faith-based or spiritual practices may help some people to find meaning after a traumatic event, or to draw comfort from their community and rituals.
Finding small ways to help or give back, such as charity or blood donations, or attending memorials can reduce feelings of helplessness.
Coping strategies such as avoidance, emotional numbing and disconnection tend to be less helpful. Instead, deliberately reflecting about the event, problem-solving and seeking understanding are more effective for promoting recovery.
Read more: Want to donate blood after the Bondi attacks? Here's what you need to know
PTSD can follow a traumatic event
Most people psychologically recover after experiencing a traumatic event, with their distress reducing over time. For many people, the initial feelings and impact on day-to-day functioning significantly reduce within the first month after the traumatic event.
However, some people may have more severe or prolonged reactions. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that mcay develop in some people following exposure to a traumatic event.
Symptoms of PTSD include:
- being on high alert for danger
- avoiding reminders of the event
- having flashbacks of the event or nightmares
- negative changes in your mood, relationships, or thoughts about yourself.
PTSD is common after a terrorist attack. Around 20% of people who witness terrorist attacks may develop PTSD.
When you might need additional support
While most people who experience traumatic events don’t have ongoing symptoms of PTSD, some people might need professional support.
If symptoms of PTSD are still present three months after the trauma exposure and significantly interfering with your everyday life, then it might be time to seek professional support.
Psychological treatments, including trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) are effective for trauma responses, including PTSD.
If you need additional support, reaching out to your GP is a good place to start. Your GP can support you with a referral to a psychologist who specialises in trauma.
If this article has raised issues for you, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or you can find further resources here.
Authors: Chelsea Arnold, Clinical Psychologist and Research Fellow (Lead Clinician), Monash University
