Journalists are typically perceived as fearless, intrepid and ready to throw themselves into the fire to get the story – often quite literally. But, despite this notion of invulnerability, reporters are susceptible to mental, as well as physical injury. And, unlike emergency responders and soldiers, most journalists aren’t often taught how to recognize symptoms of mental illness or the importance of seeking help.
The most common psychological effect that can stem from coverage of traumatic events is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
“The more I learn and understand about PTSD speaking as a journalist, the more I feel that the mechanisms involved in PTSD have a particular relevance to us as journalists,” said Bruce Shapiro, executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. The Dart Center, a project of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, specializes in informed reporting on topics of violence, conflict and tragedy.
According to the National Center for PTSD, the condition is an anxiety disorder that usually occurs after one has been through a traumatic event. During such an experience, the sufferer thinks their life or the lives of others are in danger. This can be coupled with feelings of fear or lack of control.
One of the hallmarks of PTSD is that sufferers can’t shake the memory of the traumatic event. It’s as if an amplification loop has been set up in the brain and the memory never fades, said Dr. Esther Sternberg, a medical researcher and author of Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being.
That is particularly the case with journalists, who by the nature of their job are constantly re-exposing themselves to trauma through continued reporting. This makes it more difficult to escape traumatic memories, Shapiro and other experts say.
They add that many journalists may be ignoring the mental burden this carries, in many cases because they don’t realize how susceptible they are.
Many if not most journalists suffering from PTSD don’t even know they have it because few in the medical community have spoken out about this hidden problem. It has become particularly common in journalists after the Sept. 11 2001 attacks, when so many journalists went to war or covered the story at Ground Zero and elsewhere in the United States.
PTSD is a real physiological phenomenon that is related to changes in brain stress hormones, said Sternberg, who adds that the macho image of a stiff upper lip, or that journalists are superheroes, can compound the problem. Such an attitude can prevent people from seeking the help they need.
“Do we [as journalists] perceive ourselves as invulnerable?” asked Shapiro. “Or, do we view ourselves as resilient skilled professionals who nonetheless are vulnerable to psychological injury?”
Certainly it is the latter, according to Shapiro and others.
Part of coping with PTSD is through recognition and understanding – though this is where journalism seems to be struggling, Shapiro said.
Training is important to consider. On the one hand, he suggests this can take the form of hazardous environment training to understand how to be safe under dangerous conditions. He also points out that training can give journalists a basic understanding of what symptoms to look for in themselves and others, as well as getting them to talk about PTSD.
The Dart Center is one organization that offers training to journalists. At the center of its approach is the idea of providing journalists with basic vocabulary to prepare them for covering trauma and addressing psychological injury. An emphasis is also placed on molding people into supportive colleagues, as well as getting sufferers to talk about their experiences.
But at an even more basic level, journalists need to remember that they are not super human. It’s important to resist self-isolation as social interaction is crucial. Social connection is key to moving past PTSD and other psychological injuries, said Shapiro.
“If you had an appendicitis it wouldn’t occur to you to take it out yourself,” Sternberg says. “You would see a surgeon.”
