Aura of anxiety shadows Juarenses
JUAREZ — The nightmare is inescapable.
Adults and children are shellshocked. Their fear, anxiety, mistrust and, in some cases, desensitization to death are evident.
Mental health professionals in El Paso say the violence is having an untold psychological effect on both adults and children.
While there may yet to be a solution to the violence, experts say, there may not be a solution to the emotional and mental strain the city’s residents are enduring.
If cities had feelings, Jurez would be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
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“They come in trying to get assistance. One thing is dealing with an issue. Another thing is dealing with it every day. Every single day, they’re reminded of (their loss) by seeing or hearing of another homicide,” Valenzuela said. “In 2009, there were few — you could count them on your hand — days where there weren’t any homicides.”
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