Office of Primary Care and Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program

Jeremiah Dickerson, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry

(FEBRUARY 9, 2023) Jeremiah Dickerson, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, spoke to ABC22 about how stressful situations like school threats and lockdowns can leave lasting impressions on students, faculty and staff, and parents, impacting their emotional, behavioral, and even physical health.

Dickerson was one of hundreds of parents in Vermont who received messages Wednesday morning letting them know of what later turned out to be phony threats, and he says he quickly thought about the potential long-term effects the threats could have on people in our communities.

“I think we have to acknowledge that the threats can be really psychologically distressing, both for students but also for the faculty and staff in the schools as well,” he said. “Folks who experience longitudinal stress … It can affect them physiologically, it can affect their emotional behavioral health, it can affect their physical health in a lot of different ways.”

Dickerson says with such a widespread threat going out Wednesday, parents should keep an eye on their children’s health, especially if you know your child was bothered by the situation. “It’s important to take an individualized approach to that and to really pay attention that, if anything happens at school, that parents are mindful of any behavioral changes, any changes in sleep or appetite, if their child is more withdrawn.”