Parkland High School students cope with lockdown stress in wake of terror threat
EL PASO, Texas -- A day after the Parkland High School lockdown in northeast El Paso due to a man accused of making terroristic threats, emotions were still running high in the students on campus.
"To be honest, it was terrifying at first when all the helicopters were there and everything," reacted student Jorge Gomez on Tuesday.
Five hours stuck inside their classrooms, unable to leave for even a bathroom break, is what the students had to endure as El Paso police searched for suspect Pablo Paredes after police say he made a terroristic threat toward a student and the school. Paredes was found and no harm came to any students, but it was a traumatic situation nonetheless for all at the school.
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Many students admitted they felt safe within the school and felt prepared after practicing drills in recent years, but others admitted feeling scared and unprepared.
During and after a traumatic experience like this, many deal with anxiety, stress, and even depression, according to Dr. Angel Marcelo Rodriguez Cheverez, a local psychiatrist. Coping with these emotions can be difficult, and he shared some tips on how to deal with these feelings.
For parents, he said to "calm down themselves - because, often times they overreact and they go into what we call hysterical mode."
He emphasized to keep it simple and not spread misinformation. Additionally, talking about one's feelings about the situation should not be a taboo subject. The psychiatrist explained that if left unspoken, negative feelings may start to be in the back of one's head and lead to bigger issues down the road such as depression or anxiety problems.
Rodriguez Cheverez also talked about the importance of returning to a normal routine after a potentially traumatic situation.
"Keep busy, go to do your hobbies, study if you need to study obviously. Eat well, work out, get plenty of sleep. If there's a need to talk about it, talk about it without any taboos about it like 'lets not address this.'"
Ultimately, he said talking through the emotions of one's experience is of the utmost importance to overcoming the trauma of a stressful experience.
