Unmanned commercial drones are becoming a staple in modern warfare—a popularity driven by their low cost, ease of use, and expendability. As drones’ use in surveillance and combat rises, so does a new type of posttraumatic illness: “dronophobia.”“Individuals who have experienced a drone strike, particularly those injured by one, are at heightened risk for developing persistent psychological symptoms, a vulnerability intensified by the ongoing threat of repeated attacks,” wrote Joseph L. Bonvie, Psy.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital, and colleagues in the Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders.
How can drones impact well-being?
The symptoms may be familiar to clinicians working with trauma—panic attacks, avoidance of open spaces, hypervigilance, substance use, and sleep problems. Bonvie and colleagues highlighted some of the more pernicious effects:
- The aerial nature of drones increases arousal and anxiety in troops accustomed to scanning for ground-based threats like land mines.
- Given the mobility of drones and their benign use by civilians, they pose a continual and unpredictable threat, even far from a battlefield.
- The ability to record attacks allows for the trauma to be publicized on social media, potentially causing drone-affected individuals to relive their own painful experiences.
And then there is the sound:
“The distinct hum of an approaching drone, often likened to the swarming of hornets, has itself become a psychological weapon,” the authors wrote. The escalating pitch as a drone draws near can elicits fear and helplessness even before an attack.
“Addressing the psychological and societal consequences of drone warfare necessitates a comprehensive, integrated, multidisciplinary strategy,” the authors continued. “Managing drone-related trauma requires ongoing mental health support that should include family involvement, sustained surveillance, and community-based programs.
(Image: Getty Images/iStock/Julian Harenberg)
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