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Skyttens bror, Bryan Santiago, pratar med AP, 7 januari. (Danica Coto / TT NYHETSBYRÅN)

Skyttens bror: Han sökte hjälp men inget gjordes

Amerikanska myndigheter misslyckades i sin behandling av Florida-skytten Esteban Santiago efter att han kom tillbaka från tjänstgöring i Irak med psykiska problem, säger hans bror till nyhetsbyrån AP.

Santiago genomgick en psykologisk undersökning i fyra dagar efter att han berättade för FBI att han hörde röster. Hans vapen togs då i beslag men senare fick han tillbaka det.

– FBI misslyckades där. Vi pratar inte om en person som kom från ingenstans och gjorde en sådan här sak, säger brodern Bryan Santiago.

– Regeringen kände till det här i månader, de hade utvärderat honom under en period, men gjorde ingenting, tillägger han.

Esteban Santiagos mor säger att hennes son påverkades djupt av att se en bomb explodera nära två vänner under sin tid i Irak. Uppemot en av fem veteraner som har återvänt till USA från Irak eller Afghanistan har fått diagnosen posttraumatiskt stressyndrom, enligt den amerikanska myndigheten för krigsveteraner. Det är ännu oklart om Esteban Santiago hade PTSD.

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PTSD
Wikipedia (en)
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that can develop after a person is exposed to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, or other threats on a person's life. Symptoms may include disturbing thoughts, feelings, or dreams related to the events, mental or physical distress to trauma-related cues, attempts to avoid trauma-related cues, alterations in how a person thinks and feels, and increased arousal. These symptoms last for more than a month after the event. Young children are less likely to show distress but instead may express their memories through play. Those with PTSD are at a higher risk of suicide. Most people who have experienced a traumatic event will not develop PTSD. People who experience interpersonal trauma (for example rape or child abuse) are more likely to develop PTSD, as compared to people who experience non-assault based trauma such as accidents and natural disasters. About half of people develop PTSD following rape. Children are less likely than adults to develop PTSD after trauma, especially if they are under ten years of age. Diagnosis is based on the presence of specific symptoms following a traumatic event. Prevention may be possible when therapy is targeted at those with early symptoms but is not effective when carried out among all people following trauma. The main treatments for people with PTSD are counselling and medication. A number of different types of therapy may be useful. This may occur one-on-one or in a group. Antidepressants of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor type are the first-line medications for PTSD and result in benefit in about half of people. These benefits are less than those seen with therapy. It is unclear if using medications and therapy together has greater benefit. Other medications do not have enough evidence to support their use and in the case of benzodiazepines may worsen outcomes. In the United States about 3.5% of adults have PTSD in a given year, and 9% of people develop it at some point in their life. In much of the rest of the world, rates during a given year are between 0.5% and 1%. Higher rates may occur in regions of armed conflict. It is more common in women than men. Symptoms of trauma-related mental disorders have been documented since at least the time of the ancient Greeks. During the World Wars study increased and it was known under various terms including "shell shock" and "combat neurosis". The term "posttraumatic stress disorder" came into use in the 1970s in large part due to the diagnoses of US military veterans of the Vietnam War. It was officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980 in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III).
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