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Again, America grievesExperts: Nation mourns collectively in times of disaster
(CNN) -- Once again, America grieves. Just 17 months after the attacks of September 11, 2001 tore gaping wounds in America's collective psyche, Americans were reeling again -- this time from the loss of seven astronauts after shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry. "With all that is happening these days, it's a very bad feeling," Nancy Mitchell, a hardware store clerk in Confluence, Pennsylvania, told The Associated Press. "It's just one more thing -- a tragedy." Chika Umeh, a taxi driver in Los Angeles, California, said he couldn't help but think the explosion happened at an especially bad moment for the nation. "Coming after 9/11, it's very scary," Umeh, 45, told the AP. Audrey Schuckhaus of Augusta, New Jersey, had just arrived at the antiques shop where she works when she saw co-workers huddled around a television set. White lines were streaking across a blue screen. "Oh my God," she said. "They went all the way up, were floating around in the atmosphere in outer space. They were almost home, so close to being safe. It's so sad." Jack Fidel, a retired civil engineer in Las Vegas, Nevada, had just put his waffles in the toaster when he sat down to watch television. "The first thing I saw were the streaks of white in the sky. Everybody was dead," said Fidel, 70. "A tear came to my eye for a second. Seven people on board. What a waste of life." Psychologists say Americans mourn collectively when a tragedy hits the country. "Our nation has a long history of grieving together, from the Kennedy assassination to September 11th," said Dr. John McCann, a clinical psychologist who is also a counselor with the COPE crisis hotline. McCann said Americans grieve differently and often are grieving even when they appear apathetic. At CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday afternoon, giant TV screens showed the remnants of space shuttle Columbia hurtling from the skies. Hundreds of spectators, decked out in party hats and Hawaiian shirts, drank and laughed while watching the TV screens, then departed for a nearby Jimmy Buffett concert. McCann said the concertgoers were not necessarily insensitive or uncaring. "One of the best ways to deal with grief is to go on with your life," McCann said. "They do care, but they must also go on with their lives." Bad news can revive memories of traumaHe said some people might react more severely to the shuttle mishap. Some might suffer "secondary trauma," in which an event in the news triggers a reaction to a personal tragedy. According to McCann, the Columbia disaster could revive trauma suffered in battle by a war veteran or might remind someone of losing a loved one years ago. "These people make a connection [between unrelated events], and the connection is the loss," McCann said. He said bereavement is normal during a national crisis but prolonged bereavement could signal more serious psychological issues. "If the grief lasts longer than two weeks, the normal period, you should seek professional help," he said. McCann added that the tragedy might have a more severe impact on young children. "As a parent, you should reassure your kids that they are going to be OK, but you should not try to hide these events from them," he said. Countless parents could face that challenge in the coming days. Mario Schembari, however, said his 7-year-old daughter, Amy, will have little trouble coping with the news. "Unfortunately, she's getting used to stuff like that," Schembari told the AP as he and his daughter toured the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. "The run we've had the last few years; the catastrophes."
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