Psychological Aftershocks in Japan

Post-traumatic stress disorder is an unpredictable psychological consequence of Japan’s most recent earthquake and tsunami. “‘There will be people who will be able to move back to how things were, and there’s going to be a subset of people who are going to have more mental health issues,’ said Melissa Brymer, a clinical psychologist and director of the Terrorism and Disaster Programs for the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress at UCLA. Post-traumatic stress disorder—an anxiety disorder occurring after a traumatic event—can strike some immediately or long after a stressful episode.”