�Good recovery� for patients

APIONEERING mental health screening programme set up in the wake of the London bombings has treated more than 200 people for problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

The NHS initiative set up a team dedicated to identifying and offering specialist treatment to those suffering from long-term trauma after being caught up in the terrorist attacks in 2005.

The July 7 attack was the largest mass casualty event in the UK since the second world war, with 56 deaths and 775 casualties among the 4000 passengers involved. It is the first time such a screening programme has been used in the UK, and it is hoped it could be used as a model for any major incidents or disasters in the future.

An interim study on the programme, which will be presented at a British Psychological Society meeting this Friday, revealed that 255 people had been referred for treatment by May 2007. The majority - 71% - were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, with other problems including travel phobia, anxiety disorder and major depression.

Chris Brewin, professor of clinical psychology at University College London, said the aim had been to identify the group of people who needed extra assistance to help them recover from the trauma of the incident.

"American research suggests people with post-traumatic stress disorder wait on average 12 years before they get any kind of help for their problems," he said.

"Our view was that we really needed to work hard to identify those who had been affected, find out how they were doing and make them aware of what kind of resources were available to help them if they weren't recovering naturally."

One difficulty, Brewin pointed out, was that people often did not know what a "normal response" was to such incidents. He said: "These reactions people get - when they let memories come into the mind and get very jumpy and upset - are perfectly normal reactions and usually get better of their own accord.

"We want to give everyone a chance to recover naturally but then see if we could find this subgroup who weren't doing so well."

The screening programme - which was also aimed at those caught up in the failed bombings in London on July 21 and the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes by police at Stockwell Tube station - was advertised through the media and people were referred by health services.

Survivor lists provided by hospitals, for example, were also used to contact people by telephone or letter. A questionnaire was used to evaluate symptoms, which resulted in some individuals being invited for a detailed assessment.

Pamela Dix, executive director of Disaster Action, a charity that represents those affected by disaster, lost her brother in the Lockerbie bombing in 1988. She said the response of mental health services was "light years away" from the "ad hoc" approach of 20 years ago.

"This is the first time a really proactive, co-ordinated approach was taken to identifying those who may have emotional or psychological issues to deal with in the aftermath," she said. "It is a really important step forward in assisting those who have been through a major trauma."

However, she cautioned that issues such as funding would have to be addressed if the screening programme were to be used in response to future incidents.

"We can justifiably ask questions such as if diverting funds to major incidents, how do we ensure that we don't let other people fall off the waiting list for treatment?" she added.

The study, which will be published next month in the Journal Of Traumatic Stress, shows that of the 370 people who attended this assessment, 255 (69%) were referred for specialist treatment such as cognitive behavioural therapy, with the remainder judged as requiring monitoring only.

Although a detailed evaluation of the project is currently taking place, Brewin said the initial "snapshot" results had been promising.

"We were able to identify people who did have significant problems and get them in treatment and so far there is a good recovery rate," he said.

"We are doing a much more systematic evaluation at the moment, which will see if people not only get better after treatment but if they actually stay well six months later and how cost-effective this approach is."

Liz Prosser, of the 7th July Assistance Centre, which provides information, advice and emotional support to those affected by terrorist attacks and disasters, said the screening programme had been "very positive".

"A lot of people stayed away in the first couple of weeks or months and just tried to get on with things. Then around three or four months later, people came forward and said, I am getting nightmares, I thought I was coping but I am not,'" she said.

"Having a partnership with services where we could refer people over very quickly, where they could be seen by a psychologist and assessed, has been fantastic."