Terror takes mental toll

BBC News reports that scientists from University College in London reviewed a number of studies about residual effects on the general population after terrorist attacks and concluded that they can last for years and that "victims" don't need to have been from the immediate area of the attack.

The researchers found that up to 13 percent of the general population may suffer widespread emotional repercussions from an urban terrorist attack, such as the 2005 London subway bombings, even if they weren't involved or even in the area.

For those who were there, the lasting effects are much worse, BBC News reports. As many as 40 percent are likely to suffer from post traumatic stress, and two years later, the researchers found that at least 20 percent were still experiencing PTSD symptoms.

"One of the biggest challenges is to increase awareness within society to what people's reactions might be, what the natural course is and when and how to get help," the BBC quotes Dr Jonathan Bisson, senior lecturer of psychiatry at Cardiff University, as saying. – (HealthDayNews)

February 2007