Resilience or panic? The public and terrorist attack

The psychosocial consequences for children and young people who are exposed to terrorism, war, conflict and natural disasters

“…There is the risk that we underestimate the resilience of individuals and communities through what Durodié and Wessely [54] describe as the 'risk-obsessed world-view that continuously seeks to catalogue people's vulnerabilities'.…”

Psychosocial resilience in the face of a mediated terrorist threat

“…Nonetheless, as those traumatic symptoms generally subside with time, Durodié and Wessely (2002), Garlan et al (2005), Shalev (2004), Speckhard (2002Speckhard ( , 2003 and Vázquez (2005) have argued that resilience is the more common response. A view on pathology based on lists of symptoms neglects those aspects which are more related to functioning and psychological integrity.…”

“…Proper communication on the topic together with a demonstration of safety and emergency scenarios should lower the feelings of fear and potential risk -thus enhancing resilience -while inadequate communication has proven to undermine public trust -thus decreasing resilience. The well-known dilemma for governments is 'informing but not alarming' and the problem arises when the public is left in an information vacuum and media start to speculate (Archetti and Taylor, 2003;Durodié and Wessely, 2002), or in the most negative scenarios when the government lies, misleads or gives too alarming, incomplete or complex information for frightened citizens to respond to in an appropriate manner (Speckhard, 2005). The amorphous and anonymous nature of the current terrorist threat provides governments with a clear comparative advantage over other actors within the information space.…”

Medical Strategies to Handle Mass Casualties from the Use of Biological Weapons

“…Although the myth of panic is often propagated, in reality panic is unlikely to occur. 15 Yet, the incremental effects of increased call volume, hazardous materials team responses, and concerned patients with unexplained medical symptoms visiting the emergency departments can prove to be highly detrimental to public health and emergency response services.…”