Biomaterial Database

Mass violence and mental health--a view from forensic psychiatry. 2007

Julio Arboleda-Flórez

Department of Psychiatry, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Queen's Affiliated Hospitals, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. ja9@post.queensu.ca

The objectives of this paper are to develop insights into the mind of the terrorist, to conduct a review of health impacts on the health of populations, especially from the point of view of mental health impacts caused by terrorist attacks and to discern the role to be played by forensic psychiatry in emergencies caused by terrorist actions. These objectives are developed at the population level and at the individual level from the point of view of a description of the terrorist and of victim's need for forensic intervention and representation. On entrance, the paper starts with a general frame of definitions and a historical overview of terrorism as an ancient, purposeful, political tool used to change a situation objectionable to the terrorist group via intimidation of a captive population. People are used as expendable pawns and become psychologically captive to the aims of the terrorist group. As well, the paper reviews the new reality of bioterrorism and the use of improved technologies to inflict expensive damage to national infrastructures and massive loss of life.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007493	Iraq	A country bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait. The capital is Baghdad.	Republic of Iraq
D008399	Mass Behavior	Collective behavior of an aggregate of individuals giving the appearance of unity of attitude, feeling, and motivation.	Collective Behavior,Group Behavior,Behavior, Collective,Behavior, Group,Behavior, Mass,Collective Behaviors,Group Behaviors,Mass Behaviors
D009026	Mortality	All deaths reported in a given population.	CFR Case Fatality Rate,Crude Death Rate,Crude Mortality Rate,Death Rate,Age Specific Death Rate,Age-Specific Death Rate,Case Fatality Rate,Decline, Mortality,Determinants, Mortality,Differential Mortality,Excess Mortality,Mortality Decline,Mortality Determinants,Mortality Rate,Mortality, Differential,Mortality, Excess,Age-Specific Death Rates,Case Fatality Rates,Crude Death Rates,Crude Mortality Rates,Death Rate, Age-Specific,Death Rate, Crude,Death Rates,Determinant, Mortality,Differential Mortalities,Excess Mortalities,Mortalities,Mortality Declines,Mortality Determinant,Mortality Rate, Crude,Mortality Rates,Rate, Age-Specific Death,Rate, Case Fatality,Rate, Crude Death,Rate, Crude Mortality,Rate, Death,Rate, Mortality,Rates, Case Fatality
D005555	Forensic Psychiatry	Psychiatry in its legal aspects. This includes criminology, penology, commitment of mentally ill, the psychiatrist's role in compensation cases, the problems of releasing information to the court, and of expert testimony.	Jurisprudence, Psychiatric,Psychiatric Jurisprudence,Psychiatry, Forensic
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001523	Mental Disorders	Psychiatric illness or diseases manifested by breakdowns in the adaptational process expressed primarily as abnormalities of thought, feeling, and behavior producing either distress or impairment of function.	Mental Illness,Psychiatric Diseases,Psychiatric Disorders,Psychiatric Illness,Behavior Disorders,Diagnosis, Psychiatric,Mental Disorders, Severe,Psychiatric Diagnosis,Illness, Mental,Mental Disorder,Mental Disorder, Severe,Mental Illnesses,Psychiatric Disease,Psychiatric Disorder,Psychiatric Illnesses,Severe Mental Disorder,Severe Mental Disorders
D014754	Violence	Use of physical force causing or intent to cause harm, injury or abuse.	Assaultive Behavior,Atrocities,Behavior, Assaultive,Interpersonal Violence,Physical Assault,Physical Attacks,Structural Violence,Violent Crime,Assault, Physical,Attack, Physical,Attacks, Physical,Crime, Violent,Interpersonal Violences,Physical Assaults,Physical Attack,Violence, Interpersonal,Violence, Structural,Violent Crimes
D014857	Warfare	Methods of conducting ARMED CONFLICTS.
D049673	History, 20th Century	Time period from 1901 through 2000 of the common era.	20th Century History,20th Cent. History (Medicine),20th Cent. History of Medicine,20th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 20th Century,History of Medicine, 20th Cent.,History, Twentieth Century,Medical History, 20th Cent.,Medicine, 20th Cent.,20th Cent. Histories (Medicine),20th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 20th (Medicine),Cent. History, 20th (Medicine),Century Histories, 20th,Century Histories, Twentieth,Century History, 20th,Century History, Twentieth,Histories, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 20th Century,Histories, Twentieth Century,History, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Twentieth Century Histories,Twentieth Century History
D049674	History, 21st Century	Time period from 2001 through 2100 of the common era.	21st Century History,21st Cent. History (Medicine),21st Cent. History of Medicine,21st Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 21st Century,History of Medicine, 21st Cent.,History, Twenty-first Century,Medical History, 21st Cent.,Medicine, 21st Cent.,21st Cent. Histories (Medicine),21st Cent. Medicines,21st Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 21st (Medicine),Cent. History, 21st (Medicine),Cent. Medicine, 21st,Cent. Medicines, 21st,Century Histories, 21st,Century Histories, Twenty-first,Century History, 21st,Century History, Twenty-first,Histories, 21st Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 21st Century,Histories, Twenty-first Century,History, 21st Cent. (Medicine),History, Twenty first Century,Medicines, 21st Cent.,Twenty-first Century Histories,Twenty-first Century History