We can help prepare UK against terror attack, say psychologists

PSYCHOLOGISTS must have greater involvement in government planning to cope with a terrorist attack in the UK, a Scottish expert said yesterday.

Dr Elizabeth Campbell, the new president of the British Psychological Society (BPS) – said they tended to be seen as an afterthought when it came to preparing for major incidents.

But she said psychologists were vital in giving advice on how the public would react to an attack, as well as caring for their mental wellbeing afterwards.

Her comments came as psychologists prepare to meet in Madrid today to produce Europe-wide guidance on helping the victims of terrorism.

Dr Campbell, a senior lecturer in clinical psychology at Glasgow University, is leading the project, funded by £240,000 from the European Commission. She said the aim was pull together all the guidance already published into one definitive guide to the role of psychologists in terrorist incidents.

She told The Scotsman: "If you look at what the UK government are doing on disaster preparation, they don't include psychologists from the word go. What we have been trying to say is that we need to get psychologists involved right away.

"Psychologists can help tell you how people may react to a terrorist incident. We can assist on advising about crowd behaviour and individual reactions to an attack.

"For example, if there is a chemical attack, people would be expected to line up calmly for decontamination. We would basically be asking people to form an orderly queue, strip off their clothes and be decontaminated. But for many people, their first instinct will be to leave the area as quickly as possible and find their loved ones. We can give advice on how to manage that kind of situation."

The meeting in Madrid is bringing together experts from the BPS, the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations and the European Council of the Liberal Professions. They hope to produce their guidelines by July.

Dr Campbell said they were also concerned about the role of psychologists in the aftermath of a terror attack.

She said psychologists did have a part to play in treating people with serious trauma after an attack. But she said very few would suffer post-traumatic stress and people should not be automatically classed as in need of mental health treatment before they had had the chance to recover naturally.

"What we need is psychological first aid in the first instance. This can be provided by community workers, local churches and the Red Cross. But we do not need to rush in with mental health professionals.

"There is a role for screening people who are still experiencing a reaction several weeks after the attack, but most people will recover in a short period of time," Dr Campbell said.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: "There are roles for a wide range of professionals in planning for, and reacting to, major incidents."

SUPPORT IS CRUCIAL

THE experience of previous terrorist attacks suggests psychological support is key after such disasters.

After the 7 July bombings in London, more than 250 people were treated for problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder after mental health screening was set up.

A team of NHS staff was set up to identify and offer specialist treatment to those suffering long-term trauma after being caught up in the 2005 attack.

Most suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, but other problems included travel phobia, anxiety disorder and depression.

It is estimated that thousands suffered post-traumatic stress as a result of the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

In the aftermath of the attacks, TV adverts involving famous faces were used to let people know that the anxiety they felt was normal. But seven years later, many continue to feel the psychological effects of the attacks.