Most of the survivors were at the scene of the terror attack. Those who were not are still receiving the narrative via photos which put them at risk of being traumatised.
Anytime you are through a traumatic event, you can get traumatized by being physically present in the trauma or by listening to the narrative. It is common for people to keep asking survivors to explain their narrative and paint the picture.
That narrative is repeated over and over again. We usually say such people, including journalists, may suffer from vicarious trauma.
For journalists, it is two ways: you are getting trauma from the actual incidence because you are still at the scene and can still hear gunshots. Apart from all that you get vicarious trauma through the narratives. This is when you are not at the scene, you are a layman, just at home watching all that is being aired and seeing what is being posted in social media and also reading the narrative, it is very easy for somebody to go into vicarious trauma.You can get traumatized without knowing you are getting traumatized. After some time, somebody will start getting irritated or having flashback of what he or she saw or even start to feel sad over time and lose interest in the day to day things of life.
Some people get hyper vigilant. You enter a restaurant and the first thing before you sit down, you check the exit door.
All that can lead to what is called post-traumatic stress disorder.
The best thing people should do is debriefing and if it persists, then he or she should have some counselling sessions so that they are able to move on without having the incidence affecting them.
It is very important to start checking how we are feeling. Are you having any guilt? Are you having some flashbacks? Over drinking or doing anything that is not your usual habit.
I would advise that all those who were in the building should go for some counselling or debriefing from a professional counsellor to help them deal with what they are feeling. We even advise that when you are experiencing strange feelings after the event, you need to do debriefing and try to do things which make you feel better.
In all situations, people need not wait, they should go for professional help to help overcome any feeling.