The Wall Street Journal (4/26, A6, Kesling, Levitz, Subscription Publication) reports on how first responders to the Boston Marathon Bombing are receiving mental-health therapy in order to ward off psychological inflections, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis has notably called for large-scale counseling efforts. He said, “We are extremely concerned” about the well-being of the first responders, adding he would also see a therapist.
Boston Bombing Victims Begin Long, Painful Recovery. In a front-page story, The New York Times (4/26, A1, Goodnough, Bidgood, Subscription Publication) reports in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, many of the survivors have suffered “complex wounds that are causing intense pain and that will require several more operations.” Some will require surgery “to repair bones, veins and nerves,” while more will need physical therapy. Besides the physical ailments, many victims are experiencing “phantom pain” of lost limbs and post-traumatic stress disorder “that may continue indefinitely.” At Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, “a team of doctors, nurses, psychologists and physical therapists will focus exclusively on the bombing victims, many of whom will be fitted with prosthetic legs while they are there. Inpatient rehabilitation usually lasts a few weeks, said Dr. Ross Zafonte, Spaulding’s chief medical officer, although some of these patients will be there longer.”
Related Links:
— “First Responders Seek Out Counseling as Attitudes Shift, “Ben Kesling, The Wall Street Journal, April 25, 2013.