Attacks 'have ended false sense of security'
People will be left with the feeling that “nowhere is safe” after today’s explosions in London, a psychologist said.
Leslie Carrick-Smith, a specialist in forensic psychology, said the attacks would have had a major psychological impact on those involved and the public as a whole.
“People will be feeling totally and utterly disoriented.
“They won’t be able to get home and family won’t know where they are.
“Everyone had been lulled into a false sense of security, even though there was always an inevitability and the police had said it was not a case of if there was an attack but when.”
Mr Carrick Smith added: “We have got a situation where the reality of what has happened starts to sink in and people start to feel that nowhere is now safe.”
He said that as well as the initial damage to people and property, the terrorists will have wanted to destabilise commerce and the nation’s psychological well-being.
“September 11 had an effect on people, but this is on our own doorstep.
“In the past we have looked at the US and Spain and thought how terrible the situation is, but now it has come home to roost,” Mr Carrick-Smith said.
The expert, based in Chesterfield, said the incident could affect people other than those directly caught up in the blasts.
“Many people are going to be fearful after what has happened.
“For some people it will change their lives, for example some people will not want to work in London any more,” he said.
Mr Carrick-Smith said in the coming weeks and months the secondary effects of the blast would start to appear and some people would experience post-traumatic stress.
Symptoms include the reliving of events and nightmares, problems sleeping, uncharacteristic changes in mood and difficulties concentrating.
“Sometimes it can make people very, very jittery, very hypersensitive and very fearful,” he said.
Mr Carrick-Smith said such an event would affect different people in different ways, and not everyone would experience long-lasting after-effects.
“The key thing now is that people get together with the people are are close to them.
“People will just want to get back home, to be safe and be together.”
| Related Stories: |
|
