For Immediate Release

Washington, DC, March 23, 2021 – This week, the country was witness to two horrific mass shootings, which collectively took the lives of 18 people.  As an association dedicated to the health and well-being of children and families everywhere, we are deeply saddened by the events that took place in Atlanta, Georgia, and Boulder, Colorado, and our thoughts are with the children, families, and communities impacted by these senseless acts of violence. In hopes of helping families and children cope with the news of these events, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) compiled the following resources. These resources are a starting point in addressing the trauma that affects victims of mass shootings and are not intended to serve as a substitute for psychiatric treatment or counseling:

• AACAP Statement Responding to Gun Violence – Feb 2018
• AACAP Policy Statement on Children and Guns – June 2016
• AACAP Facts for Families, Disaster: Helping Children Cope
• AACAP Facts for Families, News and Children
• AACAP Facts for Families, Firearms and Children
• AACAP Facts for Families, Threats by Children: When are they Serious?
• AACAP Facts for Families, Grief and Children
• AACAP Disaster Resource Center
  
  

You can find more resources in the Resource Library on Guns, including clinical resources, advocacy opportunities, and policy recommendations.  If you would like to speak to an expert, please reach out to the co-chairs of AACAP’s Disaster & Trauma Issues Committee:

• Steven Berkowitz, MD, steven.berkowitz@ucdenver.edu
• Linda Chokroverty, MD, chocolatebirdie@live.com

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The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry promotes the healthy development of children, adolescents, and families through advocacy, education, and research. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are the leading physician authority on children’s mental health. For more information, please visit www.aacap.org