Psychologist: Feeling uneasy about riding mass transit is normal following Brooklyn subway shooting

Dr. Alexandra Stratyner says even before the shooting people have been feeling off between the war in Ukraine and the pandemic.

News 12 Staff

Apr 14, 2022, 12:47 AM

Updated 975 days ago

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A psychologist is putting people's minds at ease by reminding them that it is normal to feel uneasy about taking mass transit following the Brooklyn subway shooting.
Dr. Alexandra Stratyner says even before the shooting people have been feeling off between the war in Ukraine and the pandemic. She says psychologically, when you see something happen to others you're more likely to think you're at risk of the same thing, but when fear tells you to isolate. Stratyner says check the facts and decide what's right.
"The best thing that we can do is to continue on with our lives because otherwise the fear wins and if the fear wins we lose out on a lot of things that make life really meaningful and wonderful," says Stratyner.
Dr. Stratyner also says people are quick to think someone could be violent like the Brooklyn shooter because they're mentally ill...she says we don't know that's the case... there are much stronger predictors of violence...and mental illness doesn't make people inherently violent.