Study finds PTSD risk in those not at shooting

Someone who didn’t witness a traumatic event or have a loved one who lived through it can’t be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder under the textbook definition of the mental malady.

But preliminary data from a study in Las Vegas after the Oct. 1 shooting is challenging that long-standing assumption.

Early results of a UNLV study found that almost 18 percent of

Las Vegas residents who weren’t at the Route 91 Harvest festival when the shooting occurred are at risk of developing symptoms of PTSD. That compares with 53 percent of those who did attend.

The manual of mental disorders used by psychologists and psychiatrists to diagnose patients says that shouldn’t be the case. To be diagnosed with PTSD, the American Psychiatric Association requires that a patient have direct involvement or have witnessed a traumatic event or learn that a close family member or friend was involved.

First responders and doctors also can be diagnosed with PTSD, though their exposure is often considered indirect, according to the manual.

“Usually (indirect exposure) does not apply to exposure through electronic media, TV, pictures,” said Stephen Benning, a UNLV psychology professor and the study’s lead researcher. “It’s something I don’t believe our diagnostic manual is set up to address fully. Perhaps that needs revision.”

Benning’s study observes how personality traits, like optimism or moodiness, affect a person’s storytelling about the shooting. Based on their responses, the study assigns a risk of developing PTSD.

He collected accounts of the night of the shooting from more than 200