PTSD and Victims Of The 7/7 Attacks

Thousands of "hidden victims" of the 7/7 terrorist bombings are still struggling to cope with the trauma of the event, according to campaigners.



Experts believe that up to 3,000 people still suffer some level of psychological trauma following the 2005 attacks on the London Underground and a London bus, which killed 52 people.

At least 20 a week are continuing to seek treatment for post traumatic stress disorder, with the condition affecting even those who thought they had escaped relatively unscathed.

Survivor groups say that away from the public gaze, the lives of those affected by the bombs are blighted by relationship and employment difficulties. It is thought that at least one has attempted suicide.

Survivors say that while the passage of time has allowed some to heal, it also multiplies their difficulties because the level of public sympathy and understanding has inevitably dissipated.

Jacqui Puttnam, 56, who was travelling on the Circle Line train attacked at Edgware Road by bomber Mohammed Sidique Khan, said: "For people like me it will never be over. For a long time I suffered flashbacks and they were so intense that I thought I was still down there. It was months before the gaps between the flashbacks got longer and I began to trust that what I was seeing was real; that the floor was not going to give way. People try to be compassionate but they have no idea why you get upset. I had a close friend say to me just last week 'why do you choose not to move on?' "

George Roskilly, 64, was in the first carriage of the Piccadilly Line train when Jermaine Lindsay detonated his device, killing 26 people. He thought he had escpaed even psychological injury until last January when he suffered a minor breakdown and was forced to seek counselling. "My grandson was involved in a squabble and he started to cry. Hearing that reminded me of the crying on the train. It brought it all back."

Mr Roskilly, who works for a property company, could not see the carnage in the immediate aftermath of the explosion but he saw injured victims being carried out of Russell Square. "My wife said are you going to the doctor but I said I was alright. I had seen people being carried out with no arms and limbs and so I thought 'why should I go to the doctor'."

Part of his counselling aimed to assuage the guilt he felt. "The average age of the people in the carriage was 25. I was 62. I couldn't explain why I got out when all of these young people were either killed outright or seriously injured."

Rachel North, who survived the Piccadilly Line explosion, set up the King's Cross United website and has campaigned ever since for official recognition of difficulties faced by survivors. She said there is a pressing need for wider understanding.

"Employers and GP's and health workers need to understand a bit more; so they are aware of things like anniversary triggers. Some people abuse alcohol or use sedatives or smoke too much or stop looking after themselves. In that position you are not the ideal employer or partner or friend."

Original Source - The Guardian Unlimited

Author - Hugh Muir

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