Reopening Old Wounds

Well, obviously you've got to know something. But I think it's better not to overdose on it. I'm a physician. I've seen a lot of blood and gore. I've worked in emergency rooms, but there came a point after 9/11 when I could not watch the plane hit the World Trade Center anymore. I just couldn't stand to watch it—so I turned it off. Too much of what we get in these emergencies is these intense visuals of horrible things happening and not enough information about what to do, how to respond, what it means.

What's the effect of that?

You're just getting repetitively exposed to something that leaves you feeling even more helpless. The essence of trauma is helplessness, and what you want people to do is find something they can do about the situation.

Would you say people sometimes underreact in these types of situations?

A lot of times people underreact. I mean, if you saw the film about 9/11, these poor firemen in the building, they didn't get it—they thought they were there to get people out of the building, to put out the fire. It took too long for them and their commanders to realize those buildings were going down, and all they could do was get the hell out of there. And a lot of people died in the World Trade Center because instead of saying, "This is a horrible situation, get the hell out," they were told to go back up to their offices. In general, it's not that we get anxious, it's that we don't get anxious enough when we ought to be.

What's the main thing people should remember in dealing with the stress of a tragedy like this?