MONTREAL – A third of the Dawson College shooting survivors suffered from long-lasting psychological effects following the tragedy, a new study shows.
Released Thursday in Montreal, the study suggests 30% of students and employees experienced psychological disorders, such as major depression, substance and alcohol abuse problems, in the wake of the rampage - a rate double that of the general population.
“The psychological injury rate is so much higher than the physical injury rate,” Dr. Warren Steiner, chief psychiatrist at the McGill University Health Centre said Thursday.
On Sept. 13, 2006, Kimveer Gill shot his way through Dawson College, killing Anastasia De Sousa, 18, and wounding 19 others. Gill then turned the gun on himself.
The research team was especially surprised by the long-range impact of the trauma on study participants. Some respondents with pre-existing mental health issues had problems up to 18 months after the shooting and Steiner believes some may still have lingering problems.
He hopes the findings will lead to longer lasting crisis intervention programs.
“Crisis intervention is much more of a short-term concept,” he said. “It would lead us in future events to tailor our responses.”
A research team from the MUHC and the Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital looked at the impact of the shooting on close to 1,000 students and employees of the college over a three-year period. The groundbreaking research was the first of its kind to audit crisis intervention programs following a tragedy like the Dawson shooting.
Weiner and the other researchers believe their recommendations – which have been submitted to the Quebec government - should be used in programs rolled out across the province and the rest of Canada.
“The principles are the same where people are in a situation where they feel their life is at risk,” he said. “Schools and every major establishment in Quebec need to have crisis plans in place.”
The team also highlighted the need for public education programs that reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness.
“A lot of people were suffering in silence,” Steiner said. “Stigma is a huge issue. It’s really one of the biggest issues in mental health services.”
The director of the trauma study centre at Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital agreed.
“(Some survivors) see other people getting better and if they’re not getting better they tend to self-stigmatize,” he said.
Dawson basketball coach Wayne Yearwood said Thursday he’s not surprised the researchers found lingering rates of trauma.
“I can’t imagine that not being par for the course,” he said.
“I remember saying when this happened that this could last for years, the psychological impact of that situation.”
