For Students, Post-Traumatic Stress May Live On

April 17, 2007 — -- For Virginia Tech student Kate Lehmkuhler, a routine walk between classes became a moment she would never forget.

"I heard the shots and an armed officer literally turned to me and shouted for me to run," she says. "We could see 50 or 100 student run out of Norris, and two students who jumped out of the window.

"It was absolutely terrifying."

Full coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting on "World News with Charles Gibson," "Nightline," "Good Morning America," and an ABC network special Tuesday at 10 P.M. Eastern time.

Another student found herself faced with a grisly reminder of the tragedy that had just transpired.

"I guess it was a girl," recalls Mackenzie Costello, a Virginia Tech freshman. "It looked like a body; they were wrapped up really tightly on the stretcher. I didn't know what was going on. I saw a bunch of cops and ambulances.

"You're a freshman and just getting used to the campus; it's scary that all this is happening," she says. "I know as of right now, even if class was on campus tomorrow, there's no way I would go.

"Even though the shooter was caught, I'm still terrified."

Some might say that Lehmkuhler and Costello are the lucky ones. But mental health experts suggest that in traumatic events such as these, even those who escape physically unscathed may have long-lasting psychological wounds.

For anyone involved, Monday's shocking events would certainly represent a source of stress and trauma.

"It's an extremely disorganizing and traumatizing experience," said Dr. Gilbert Kliman of the Psychological Trauma Center in San Francisco, Calif.

"Here, 31 young adults killed, dozens wounded, hundreds of bereaved family members who are severely traumatized -- what to do for them is a good question."

But while all of those at Virginia Tech may experience the immediate stress associated with this type of violent tragedy, the effects of this trauma could linger for some, perhaps leading to post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

"Any time you have a disaster or an individual is exposed to this kind of event, PTSD is a possibility," says Glenn Schiraldi, of the stress management faculty at the University of Maryland's department of public and community health.