No crowd panics in London

The response of Londoners on the day of the 7/7 bomb attacks was notable for the lack of panic - contrary to what we are often led to expect, everyone stayed calm.

An interesting article by Simon Wessely, of the King’s Centre for Military Health Research, in the Journal of Mental Health argues that:

the role of information is important to consider as it may have effects not just on decisions about travel arrangements but also on psychological and social responses to a <terrorist> attack. The role of our leaders is the key to reducing damage and this depends not just on their reactions now but on a systematic programme of research into possible consequences of <terrorist attack> – not a piecemeal response following an attack.

He makes some points that are worth drawing attention to:

• What people need after an attack is not 'counselling', which may actually make people feel worse, but the opportunity to communicate with their friends and family

• Consequently, rather than shutting down the mobile phone network immediately after an attack, to minimise psychological distress the authorities should let people phone but 'keep it short'

• Providing timely and accurate information and practical help to people who have suffered in an incident is in itself a valuable indirect psychological intervention

• How leaders are seen to behave during the crisis is crucial

I feel this article would also be relevant to companies that have to deal with large-scale health and safety incidents, or even less life-threatening 'shocks' like redundancies or plant closures.

When I read this piece I thought he was commenting on the London bombings - in fact it was published in the February 2005 edition of the journal!

The article is in PDF form - download it here.