Oregon school shooting: Friday evening details, addressing trauma

And just yesterday, sadly, we were covering that elementary school shooting there in Bend, Oregon. A 16-year-old, we're told, killed three kids and a teacher. The ages of those kids, again, this is an elementary school, ages 5, 8, and 11. And again, the shooter, according to investigators, was 16 years old. They say he used a pump-action shotgun that was purchased by his mother. Now, that's legal under Oregon law. Um, we also found out that there was a bit of heroism involved in this, where a bystander who was a father and had two kids that go to the school, he engaged the suspect after seeing him walk into the building, shot and killed him. We also are following and waiting for more updates in terms of the health for another child who is seven years old, along with a teacher who's 54, who we're told are both in critical condition. So very scary situation there. But unfortunately, school shootings, shootings at movie theaters, grocery stores, it is not uncommon. Sadly, though, for those kids in elementary school in Bend, Oregon, that is something they witnessed. That is what you call trauma. And today we spoke to Ryan McCarthy, a psychiatrist at Baylor College of Medicine, in regards to the trauma. And what can parents be looking out for? How do you have that conversation with your child so young when they may have witnessed something so terrible? What are some signs, if any, parents should be looking for that can possibly be an indication that your child may need to seek a psychiatrist or therapy as well? Yeah, absolutely. So if a child is able to describe what they're experiencing, that's great. But we also know often that kids may not be immediately verbalizing what's going on. They often show us through different indicators. So things like changes in sleep, If sleep's more difficult than it usually is, behavior changes or acting out normal, dips in school performance. If there's some unusual activity going on at school, not wanting to be around their friends or having difficulties with peers, isolation, each kid's gonna be different. But if you are seeing a change in what you typically are seeing and maybe there's a relationship between the time, right, some exposure to something like what just happened. Then that could be a sign to maybe have a conversation with your child and see, right? Again, the goal is just to be supportive and providing a lending ear and letting them know you're on their side and wanna help. All right, question today, tell 26, what should be the top priority in addressing school shootings? I hate that we even have to to have this conversation, but it's real. 58% of you saying increased school security. Believe security will be the appropriate deterrent so these shootings don't continue to happen. Another 24% of you say mental health resources, followed by 18% saying stricter gun laws. Listen, one thing I've learned doing news, two things can be true at the same time. Maybe even three things can be true at the same time. So no matter where you stand on this poll here, there are kids going to school trying to learn and they're not going home. And that is a problem that we have to deal with here desperately. And by the looks of it, we can do that on several fronts. But more has got to be done, you guys. More has got to be done. And we'll continue to see this happening.