New York City Still Reeling from 9/11

Ivanhoe Newswire
Thursday, June 19, 2008; 4:15 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) – The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 seem to have taken a great mental toll on many people who lived in Lower Manhattan.

New research from the Health Department's World Trade Center Health Registry shows one in eight Lower Manhattan residents probably had posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) two to three years after the attacks. The study shows they developed PTSD at three times the usual rate in the years after 9/11.

Results also show the rate of PTSD among Lower Manhattan residents (12.6 percent) was nearly the same as that of rescue and recovery workers (12.4 percent). Residents who were injured during the attacks were the most likely to develop the condition – 38 percent had PTSD symptoms.

The next most-affected groups are those who witnessed violent deaths and those who were in the dust cloud after the towers collapsed – about 17 percent had PTSD in each of those groups. Their most common symptoms are hyper-vigilance, nightmares and emotional reactions to reminders of 9/11.

Below is a snapshot from the report of Lower Manhattan Residents with PTSD in 2003-2004:
All: 12.6%
Men: 10.1%
Women: 14.6%
White: 10.7%
African American: 20.6%
Hispanic: 24.7%
Asian: 8.9%
Earn $50,000 to $74,999: 11.3%
Earn less than $25,000: 19.8%

The Health Department now has a benefit program for those with mental health or substance-use problems related to 9/11. It will reimburse out-of-pocket costs for those conditions through a claims process. There are also free mental health services available through the World Trade Centers of Excellence.

SOURCE: Journal of Traumatic Stress, published online June 13, 2008

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