Mental health's role in combating terror
| Autor: | Robert J. Ursano, Molly J. Hall, Derrick Hamaoka, Jun Shigemura |
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| Rok vydání: | 2004 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Mental Health. 13:531-535 |
| ISSN: | 1360-0567 0963-8237 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/09638230400021030 |
| Popis: | In the simplest terms – Terrorism’s intent is to induce terror.Terrorism aims to erode the very fabric of a society. These acts of human malevolence areimplemented by the few who wish to coerce societies by inducing fear, shock, horror, andrevulsion often with ideological, religious, and political agendas. The initial effects ofterrorist attacks may include death, injury, displacement/evacuation, and structural damage;however, the terrorist’s ultimate aim is to affect the survivors. Terrorism can be thought of asa psychological assault that challenges the society’s sense of safety, security, and cohesion.Weapons of mass destruction are commonly referred to as CBRNE (chemical, biological,radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives) and are especially effective in causing terror(Holloway, Norwood, Fullerton, Engel, & Ursano, 1997). Conventional weapons produceimmediate and quantifiable health consequences. In contrast to conventional weapons,biological, chemical, and radiological weapons may not have immediate manifestations, andthe risks to individuals may not be easy to assess. Particularly frightening in the context of abiological agent attack is the risk of person-to-person transmission. Imperceptibility (i.e.,many agents are odorless and colorless), persistence (i.e., many agents can lie dormant forsome time), unknown efficacy of the treatments, and potentially catastrophic effects if onebecomes infected (to include disfigurement and death) all make these agents well-suited toinduce terror. After the initial attack and dispersal of such agents, it is understandable thatquestions regarding safety as well as heightened fear and anxiety may emerge and persist.Use of these types of agents, particularly biological and chemical, is not a recentphenomenon. These agents have been used in previous conflicts; however, their potentialwas dramatically brought to the world’s attention when the Aum Shinrikyo dispersed saringas on the Tokyo subways in 1995, causing12 deaths and requiring over 1000 individuals beadmitted to area hospitals for further care. This event illustrated the possible extent ofimmediate psychological impacts. Approximately 4000 people presented for emergency carewho had no history or evidence of exposure (Ohbu et al., 1997; Kawana, Ishimatso, &Kanda, 2001). |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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