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The psychological and psychosocial impact of the Pakistan Kashmir earthquake after 8 months: a preliminary evaluation by PACTT

PACTT: Pakistan—Aberdeen Collaborative Trauma Team

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

H. Rana ,
Sohail Ali ,
Babur Yusufi ,
David A. Alexander ,
Susan Klein ,
Amanda J. Lee ,
Gareth T. Jones  and
Gary Macfarlane
H. Rana
Affiliation:
Military Hospital Rawalpindi
Sohail Ali
Affiliation:
Military Hospital Rawalpindi
Babur Yusufi
Affiliation:
Community Learning Disability Service, Mile End Hospital, London
David A. Alexander
Affiliation:
Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, Aberdeen Centre for Trauma Research, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen
Susan Klein
Affiliation:
Aberdeen Centre for Trauma Research, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen
Amanda J. Lee
Affiliation:
Medical Statistics, Department of General Practice and Primary Care, University of Aberdeen
Gareth T. Jones
Affiliation:
Epidemiology, Epidemiology Group, Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Aberdeen
Gary Macfarlane
Affiliation:
Epidemiology, Epidemiology Group, Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Aberdeen
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Abstract

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Natural disasters are complex events that challenge the coping abilities of individuals and communities (Alexander, 2005). They are characterised by substantial loss, physical injury and economic hardship, as well as by extensive internal displacement and damage to the infrastructure, as exemplified by the Pakistan Kashmir earthquake of 8 October 2005. Measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, it affected an area of 30000 square miles and a population of 3.6 million. Approximately 90000 were killed, 200000 were injured and 3.5 million were left homeless (Khan, 2006). Based on a literature review and estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Plan of Action for Mental Health and Psychosocial Relief of Earthquake Survivors anticipated high levels of trauma-related psychopathology (Rana et al, 2006).

Type
Original Paper
Information
International Psychiatry , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , April 2008 , pp. 43 - 46
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits noncommercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2008

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