SAN DIEGO — Though things are opening up and slowly getting back to normal, there have still been several recent reports of fights and other related incidents in public places.
On May 23, on board a Southwest flight from Sacramento to San Diego, a female passenger punched a flight attendant, knocking out her teeth.
The argument allegedly stemmed over a mask.
Childhood actor Ricky Schroder recently shared video of himself confronting a Los Angeles area Costco employee about their mask mandate.
And at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, a man was caught on camera throwing a rock at a woman's windshield after she refused to let him cut the increasingly long line of cars waiting to get into the United States.
“I think people are reacting to that dramatic change,” said San Diego psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Lardon.
Dr. Lardon said though things are returning back to normal, we're not there yet, so people are lashing out.
"We're not at the place where the masks are gone and everything is a hundred percent open and there's a backlash. In a way it's a cultural PTSD. People have been traumatized by this event," said Dr. Lardon.
Not only that, people are having to get used to crowds and traffic again.
That's creating a lot of anxiety.
“Now everything is back to the way it was, but what's different is we have the knowledge that we could slow down a little bit. Before we didn't have the perspective because that's what we knew. We always hustle-bustle get to work rush hour, but when you have a year of things- hey it could be different, and so I think people feel more stress with that,” said Dr. Lardon.
Hundreds of News 8 viewers weighed in on our social media pages.
On Facebook, Robert Alvarado said, "I notice people are just more angry and hostile."
On Instagram, one woman wrote, "People are still speeding and cutting in and out of busy traffic like it's still empty freeway Covid times."
Dr. Lardon's advice -- have patience and think before you react.
"Because chaos creates chaos, calmness tends to calm people, so think, take a time out," said Dr. Lardon.
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