Fear about bioterrorism shouldn’t be dismissed as we try to deal with difficult times, so says the chair of psychiatry at St. Louis University School of Medicine. Dr. Joan Lang has heard the term “paranoia” thrown around, but says paranoia means irrational fear and it would be hard to argue fear of bioterrorism is irrational with the current events in America. Lang advises people pay attention to the latest news, but not dwell on it. Also, she says people should ground themselves in normal activities, especially with friends and families within a faith community. As for children, Lang says parents should simply comfort small children, acknowledge to older children the tragedy and then point out how heroes responded and she says the best way to deal with teen-agers might be to listen to them and deal with the emotions they express.