London bombings

2005 London Bombings (7/7 attacks) were a series of attacks that targeted London civilians who relied on public transport system, more so, during the morning hours. Obviously, these terminals are bound to be crowded during these hours as London inhabitants struggle to get to their jobs on time. Terrorists, who were London residents with Islamist leanings, detonated four bombs aboard several London Underground trains as well as on a double-decker bus. On the other hand, the September 11 (9/11) attacks were a series of al-Qaeda instigated attacks on the United States’ Washington D.

C. (The Pentagon and World Trade Center). Foreign terrorists took control of several airplanes which they flew and crashed into those buildings claiming over 3, 000 lives and leaving countless civilians injured. London Bombings have been frequently compared to the 9/11 attacks. Whereas the magnanimity of these two events is incomparable (the 9/11 attacks claimed over 3, 000 lives whereas London Bombings claimed around 52 lives and thus the United Kingdom recovered in a shorter period), the magnitude of trauma to the victims as well as the population at large in both countries is comparable.

Civilians residing in the United States as well as the United Kingdom underwent similar shock and disbelief. The traumatic reactions and the fear of susceptibility to future attacks were similar in both countries. In addition, shock and trauma levels were largely similar; the number of victims who either got injured or died. Rivara et. al (2011) state that all ‘ serious non-fatality injured patients’ need hospital admission.

In both instances, the traumatic reactions were treated via ‘ psychological first aid,’ hospitalization and later social support. Nonetheless, this approach is highly controversial since it does not include the patient’s backgrounds, cultures or experiences. Whereas trauma centers responded quickly and effectively, patients were discharged without having been effectively treated for post-traumatic stress. In order to effectively treat similar cases in the future, the patients’ culture and backgrounds need to be factored in.