Operation Solace: overview of the mental health intervention following the September 11, 2001 Pentagon attack

At the direction of the Army Surgeon General, the Army behavioral health consultants in psychiatry, psychology, and social work assembled in Washington, DC immediately after the September 11, 2001 attack to plan and implement a proactive behavioral health response to the Pentagon attack. The goal was to minimize the short- and long-term adverse behavioral health and related medical effects predicted to emerge based on past U.S. mass casualty scenarios. This article summarizes the goals, methods, and rationale used to develop the plan, as well as the key elements of the behavioral health intervention developed in response to the attack.