More services required for disaster and terrorist attack survivors
Of the 1,000 survivors of the 7/7 attack, a third needed help in coming to terms with event, yet very few were referred for treatment by there GP.
Professor Chris Brewin of the The University College London says that mental health outreach programmes such as the one they set up for the London bombings with funding from the Department of Health should feature among plans for the aftermath of disasters and terrorist attacks.
He also said that if it weren’t for the programme there would be hundreds of people still suffering from post traumatic stress or other psychological problems as a result of the 2005 terrorist attack.
He said there were extreme situations when relying on GPs and primary care services did not work.
Only a staggeringly low 4% of survivors were contacted by the psychologists in the outreach programme had been referred for treatment by their GP.
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Tags: 7/7, natural disaster, post traumatic stress disorder, terroist attack