The Oklahoma City bombing, intentional crashing of airliners on September 11,
2001, and anthrax attacks in the fall of 2001 have made Americans acutely aware
of the impacts of terrorism. These events and continued threats of terrorism have
raised questions about the impact on the psychological health of the nation and
how well the public health infrastructure is able to meet the psychological needs
that will likely result. Preparing for the Psychological Consequences of Terrorism highlights
some of the critical issues in responding to the psychological needs that result
from terrorism and provides possible options for intervention. The committee offers
an example for a public health strategy that may serve as a base from which plans
to prevent and respond to the psychological consequences of a variety of terrorism
events can be formulated. The report includes recommendations for the training
and education of service providers, ensuring appropriate guidelines for the protection
of service providers, and developing public health surveillance for preevent,
event, and postevent factors related to psychological consequences.


Table of Contents


Front Matter
Executive Summary
1. Introduction: Rationale for a Public Health Response to the Psychological Consequences of Terrorism
2. Understanding the Psychological Consequences of Traumatic Events, Disasters, and Terrorism
3. Current Infrastructure in the United States for Responding to the Psychological Consequences of Terrorism
4. Developing Strategies for Minimizing the Psychological Consequences of Terrorism Through Prevention, Intervention, and Health Promotion
5. Conclusions and Recommendations for Effective Prevention and Response
References
Appendix A: Data Sources and Methods
Appendix B: Committee and Staff Biographies