Civil unrest related to Freddie Gray death caused depressive symptoms among mothers in affected neighborhoods, study finds (Baltimore Sun)

Wednesday Aug 2nd, 2017

Half of the mothers who lived in the neighborhoods wracked by the civil unrest that followed the death of Freddie Gray in 2015 became so stressed by the circumstances that they suffered from insomnia, loss of appetite and other depressive symptoms, according to new research by the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

While the mothers weren’t tested to see if they fit the clinical definition of depression, the researchers said the results found that the sight of burning buildings, looting, and the constant blue lights from police cars was enough to have a major emotional impact in neighborhoods located in the six ZIP codes where the brunt of the unrest took place.

Gray was found unconscious with fatal neck injuries suffered while in police custody on April 12, 2015. His subsequent death sparked the unrest.

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