Students’ Drugs, Depression And Discipline Problems Surge In Months, Years After School Shootings

A look at students from Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe, Texas, reveals the long lasting trauma that can be associated with surviving a school shooting. Meanwhile, the rate of gun deaths in the U.S. has had its first significant increase in 15 years.

Politico: In Parkland And Santa Fe, No Escape For School Shooting Survivors

Substance abuse and mental health problems surged following last year’s deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., while test scores tanked. ... The devastating turn in mental health, academic performance and substance abuse is revealed in a series of federal aid applications from these school districts. The documents paint the most detailed picture of what really happens to a school after a mass shooting. Once the funerals are over, the TV cameras leave and students attempt to return to normalcy, there have been dramatic turns for the worse in academic performance, behavior and mental wellness. "Personally, I hate the word closure, because I don't think there ever is closure to anything like this," said Melissa Reeves, past president of the National Association of School Psychologists and an associate professor at Winthrop University in South Carolina. (Gaudiano, 10/10)

PBS NewsHour: Gun Deaths Started To Rise After More Than A Decade Of Being Stable

The rate of gun deaths in the United States has experienced an uptick that started four years ago, a new study says — the first significant increase in these fatalities in 15 years. Since 1999, the number of gun deaths held steady year after year — at 10.4 firearm fatalities per 100,000 people. But in 2015, the rate began creeping up nationwide to 11.8 deaths per 100,00 people–marking a 13.8-percent increase. (Santhanam, 10/9)

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