The terrible story of a 1 year old, thrown off an overpass, has been difficult for people across the state to deal with.

The Department of Health said about 100 calls came in early Friday, from witnesses and others who just needed someone to talk to about the tragedy.

The Red Cross's Ken Lee, a crisis counselor, has this advice for those trying to cope:

"If you were directly involved or witnessed a traumatic incident, it is completely normal for you to experience some of the physical reactions, thoughts, feelings and behaviors listed below. Your normal reactions will take some time to go away. If these changes begin to overwhelm you, or if they last longer than several weeks, you should seek advice from your medical care provider," said Lee.

You, your relatives and your friends may be experiencing any of these reactions. These reactions are normal and 95 percent of the time these reactions will go away over time.

Physical:

• Muscle tremors
• Fatigue
• Chills
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Shock symptoms
• Gastrointestinal distress
• Dizziness
• Difficulty breathing
• Chest pain
• Headaches
• Elevated blood pressure
• A feeling of hollowness
• Weakness
• Sensitivity to noise

Feeling:

• Impatience
• Fear
• Anxiety
• Anger
• Irritability
• Numbness
• Loneliness
• Guilt
• Shame
• Lack of enjoyment in everyday activities

Thinking:

• Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
• Confusion
• Limited attention span
• Decreased ability to make decisions
• Decreased ability to solve problems
• Calculation difficulties
• Recurring dreams or nightmares about the disaster
• Reconstructing the events surrounding the disaster in your mind in an effort to make it come out differently
• Repeated thoughts of memories of the disaster that are difficult to stop

Behaviors:

• Overprotecting yourself and your family
• Isolating yourself from others
• Startling easily
• Sleeping problems
• Avoiding activities that remind you of the disaster
• Increased conflict with family members
• Keeping excessively busy to avoid thinking about the disaster
• Tearfulness
• Crying for no apparent reason
• Changes in appetite
• Increased alcohol and drug use
• Discarded treasured objects

Spiritual:

• Crisis of faith
• Questioning basic religious beliefs (why did God let this happen?)
• Displaced anger towards authority figures

The Department of Health does have a hotline you can call for help, or just for a trained expert to talk to, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

On Oahu - call 832-3100

Neighbor Islands - 1-800-753-6879

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