Washington gunman Aaron Alexis: Was he suffering from PTSD due to 9/11?

In the deadliest mass shooting in the US since last December's massacre at a Connecticut elementary school, a gunman killed 12 people and wounded 14 others at a US naval base in the heart of the capital before being shot dead. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the alleged shooter at the sprawling Washington Navy Yard complex in Southeast Washington not too far from the Capitol and the White House, as Aaron Alexis, 34, of Fort Worth, Texas.

Alexis who received a general discharge in 2011 from the Navy Reserve, was arrested but not charged in a gun incident in Seattle in back 2004 but still had a security clearance with a military contractor that would have allowed him access to the Navy Yard, officials said. Even as the FBI ruled out any other shooters in the rampage at the headquarters for Naval Sea Systems Command, Metropolitan Police were trying to track down at least one person to determine whether that individual had any involvement. We'll continue to seek information about what the motive is. We don't have any reason at this stage to suspect terrorism, Washington Mayor Vincent Gray told reporters, but certainly it has not been ruled out.

The other possible suspect was described by police as a black male, between 40 and 50, wearing an olive drab-coloured military-style uniform. President Barack Obama called the shooting a cowardly act that targeted military and civilians serving their country and vowed that federal and local law enforcement officials would work together to hold accountable those responsible for the shooting.

They know the dangers of serving abroad, he said, but today they faced the unimaginable violence that we wouldn't have expected here at home. The worst shooting incident at a military installation since 13 people were killed at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009 began unfolding at 8:20 a.m. when several shots were fired inside the southeast Washington facility, where some 3,000 military and civilian employees work.

Time to recognise PTSD

The former Navy reservist was arrested twice for gun-related incidents and was discharged in 2011 for misconduct. He had been traumatised by the events of 9/11 and had suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) according to a police release. Details released by the Seattle Police Department that in May 2004 Alexis had shot out the tyres of a car after being traumatised by 9/11 attacks. The report went on to say that Alexis claimed men on a construction site head been mocking him and he had suffered an anger-fuelled blackout . The report said: Alexis also told police he was present during 'the tragic events of September 11, 2001' and described 'how those events had disturbed him'. Detectives later spoke with Alexis' father, who lived in New York at the time, who told police Alexis had anger management problems associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and that Alexis had been an active participant in rescue attempts on September 11th, 2001. He was also arrested in April 2010 for discharging a firearm in an apartment, according to a Fort Worth Police Department incident report though he claimed the weapon went off accidentally.

What is PTSD?

Noticed as early as the 19^th Century in soldiers and called by various names including battle fatigue, the term was formally recognised by 1980. Simply talking, PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder which affects people who have suffered some sort of traumatic event like a near-death experience, sexual abuse or serious injury. It s a serious mental condition which can be debilitating on many levels.

What are the common symptoms?

PTSD affects mental and physical health, relationships and even job performance. The most common symptom of the condition is flashbacks. They are extremely debilitating and make the individual feel like they ve travelled back in time and their tormentor (or the event that tormented them) is still there. Rachel says, What people need to understand is that when that happens, it isn t like your feet are in the here-and-now but your head is somewhere else. Rather, it feels like your entire being is back in time, reliving the trauma and experiencing the event. Moreover, a person can be triggered by even the smallest reminders. For example, let s say a woman was raped by her boyfriend. For her, walking past a perfume store and suddenly smelling the cologne he used to wear could trigger her. Or walking down the street and seeing a man who is wearing the same kind of cap her boyfriend wore or going on a date with a man and him taking her hand. Years can pass by but a person with PTSD can still experience flashbacks that make it feel like the event is happening all over again.

What are the treatment options?

The various treatment options depend on the nature of the events. Some of the common ones include individual therapy, group therapy, medication, hypnosis, EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing a kind of psycho-therapeutic process). For some people, religion and spirituality also works. Rachel Hercman adds, For some, getting involved in community events/advocacy relating to their trauma can serve as an avenue of healing that enables them to transform their experience into one that has a positive impact on the world. (Read more about PTSD)

With inputs from agencies