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Social workers and therapists work in small groups or one on one, performing the delicate task of coaching parents to help their children make sense of what has happened and to aid rescue workers as they process what they’ve witnessed before acute stress disorder sets in, a precursor to post-traumatic stress disorder, Slater said.

A psychological assessment shortly after the killing found that Maria was mentally unsound at the time of the crime due to an acute stress disorder caused by her father’s abuse, and recommended her for treatment.

The federal agency listed further possible risks including: “Suicidality, chronic stress, acute stress disorder, neuropathy, withdrawal, nightmares, flashbacks of panic and rage, hyper-vigilance, insensitivity to fatigue or pain, changes in sleep patterns, loss of interest, difficulty concentrating, and injuries from falling”.

Jessica’s only diagnosis was “acute stress disorder,” which, the evaluator wrote, occurs “when an individual is exposed to actual or threatened death.”

She also spoke a week later to a mental health therapist who determined that she had symptoms of acute stress disorder stemming from the police encounter.