Nuclear fallout: the mental health consequences of radiation | Becky Martin

70 years on from the destruction of Nagasaki, much of the attention regarding radiation is still directed to the physical dangers, but the psychological consequences can also be damaging.

Radiation protection research has been focused upon the bodily effects of exposure to ionising radiation, rather than upon the psychology of survivors. However, recent work, including my own, has shown that the most significant impacts of radiation emergencies are often in our minds.

The physical consequences of radiation exposure are well documented, from radiation sickness to cancer. However, there is another insidious and debilitating impact upon the people in areas affected by nuclear accident, regardless of proximity to hazards and actual exposure; something that has a greater prevalence and a higher rate of morbidity and mortality than all physical health cases combined - mental health effects.