1 in 8 Lower Manhattan residents had signs of PTSD 2 to 3 years ...( For many residents of Lower Manhatta...),Health

For many residents of Lower Manhattan, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, had lasting psychological consequences. New findings, released today by the Health Department's World Trade Center Health Registry, show that one in eight Lower Manhattan residents likely had posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) two to three years after the attacks. The findings show that Lower Manhattan residents developed PTSD at three times the usual rate in the years following 9/11. The rate among residents (12.6%) matched the rate previously reported among rescue and recovery workers (12.4%). Residents who were injured during the attacks were the most likely to develop PTSD. The new study, published online this week in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, is available online at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/109882595/home.

The new study based on surveys of 11,000 residents through the World Trade Center Health Registry is the first to measure the attack's long-term effect on the mental health of community members. Aside from injured residents 38% of whom developed symptoms of PTSD the most affected groups were those who witnessed violent deaths and those caught in the dust cloud after the towers collapsed. Roughly 17% suffered PTSD in each of those groups. The symptoms most commonly reported were hyper-vigilance, nightmares and emotional reactions to reminders of 9/11.

Divorced residents reported symptoms at twice the rate of those who were married possibly because they received less emotional support. Women were affected at a higher rate than men (15% versus 10%), a disparity documented in other disasters. And black and Hispanic residents reported more symptoms than whites. Low levels of education and income also increased people's risk of PTSD.

All: 12.6%
Men: 10.1%
Women: 14.
'/>"/>