Overview
- Mental-health professionals in Iowa, Colorado, and Minnesota report rising stress reactions linked to repeated viewing of the Renee Good and Alex Pretti shooting footage.
- AdventHealth Porter's Brad Sjostrom urges people not to re-watch violent clips and to watch for intrusive thoughts, anxiety, poor sleep, hypervigilance, and concentration problems.
- Research and Metro State professor James Densley note that continuous, unpredictable feeds intensify secondary trauma, sometimes approaching the impact of indirect exposure.
- Recommended steps include muting graphic content, switching devices to grayscale, setting time limits, taking breaks, curating sources, and seeking support from trusted people or therapists.
- Experts highlight greater vulnerability for those with prior victimization or from communities with histories of police violence, while recent Minnesota protests are cited as expressions of shared grief that can strengthen community resolve.