One man told of how his daughter had died in a car accident several years back. Seeing the carnage at the high school, he said, brought back the vivid, painful image of her body pinned beneath the car. Another young man broke down when he revealed that the tragedy had caused him to relive the horror of his father being killed by his brother. Exactly the same feelings they had then came back. Grief counselors have nightmares of their own.
TV crews break down in tears, unable to maintain the mask of impartiality.
Even rescue dogs become depressed and anxious. It's called secondary stress. One becomes traumatized by helping the traumatized. It's almost like they're a carrier for the disease. The problem is especially acute among grief counselors and others who respond to the scene of a disaster specifically to provide mental health services.