Experiencing a plane crash is a devastating, life-altering event.  Without warning, your life changes in an instant.  Victims, survivors, and families suddenly face severe physical, emotional, and financial hurdles that must be managed to restore a sense of normalcy to your life.  Typically, you feel overwhelmed by the situation leading to a profound effect on your emotional state.  Here are some of the feelings and emotions you may encounter:

• A sudden feeling of loss, confusion, regret, and frustration.
• Difficulty sleeping or concentrating on daily chores.
• Feeling you are losing control over your life.
• Difficulty concentrating on simple tasks and events.
• Persistent nightmares, thoughts, or dreams about the event.
• Unexplained anger, frustration, or emotional outbursts over simple frustrations.
• Generalized depression or feeling withdrawn from daily conversations and activities.
• Feeling isolated from family and friends.
• Loss of appetite or frequent illnesses.

If these symptoms become profound or persist beyond a few weeks, you should consider the need for the services of a mental health professional.  Fortunately, there are many organizations to help guide you through the healing and recovery process.

http://www.accesshelp.org 
Aircraft Casualty Emotional Support Services
AirlineSafety.Com
http://www.airlinesafety.com/
National Transportation Safety Board’s Aviation page
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/aviation.htm
MSNBC’s “The Plane Truth” with Tom Brokaw
http://www.msnbc.com/onair/nbc/nightlynews/aviation/
Airline Investigation Unit
http://www.airlineinvestigationunit.com/
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Chat Group
http://www.support4hope.com/ptsd/
National Air Disaster Alliance/Foundation
http://www.planesafe.org
Coping with the Aftermath of an Aviation Disaster
A handout from the Red Cross
http://www.geocities.com/ea990/rc_coping.html
Safe Skies International
“For Families and Friends of Aviation Accident Victims”
http://www.safe-skies.com/accident_resource.htm
Light Aircraft Crash Bereavement Support
http://www.lacbs.i12.com/
Federal Emergency Management Agency
http://www.fema.gov/
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org/
The Salvation Army
http://www1.salvationarmy.org/
Grief Net
An Internet community of persons dealing with grief, death, and major loss
http://www.griefnet.org/
Grief Inc.
http://www.griefinc.com/
Gift From Within
An International Organization for survivors of trauma and victimization
http://www.giftfromwithin.org/
Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act
http://www.planesafe.org/assistance/FamilyAssistanceAct1996.pdf
Disaster News Network
http://www.disasternews.net
National Organization for Victim Assistance
http://www.trynova.org/
Church World Service Emergency Response Program
http://www.cwserp.org/
AirSafe.com
Critical Information for
the Traveling Public
Assistance to Families of Aviation Disasters
United States Department of Transportation