PTSD Following the September 11, 2001, Terrorist Attacks

Today, 22 years ago the World Trade Center's Twin Towers collapsed in the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was and still is a common mental disorder that many people began to suffer in varying degrees of severity when New York was attacked. Trauma, disorder, and destruction were rampant in the aftermath, and rescue and recovery efforts left their own mental scars. 9/11 PTSD is prevalent in victims who were on site during the attack, first responders who rushed to the scene to save others, rescue workers, recovery teams, and the families who lost loved ones. 

There are four categories of PTSD symptoms. A PTSD patient can experience:

• Re-experience symptoms, such as flashbacks or dreams
• Avoidance symptoms, such as avoiding certain places or things related to the traumatic event
• Arousal symptoms, such as being tense, nervous, anxious, or having outbursts which disrupt daily life
• Mood symptoms, which disrupt daily life through mood changes, and also include memory loss or memory repression regarding the traumatic event.

Fortunately, PTSD is recognized as a very real part of mental health and as such it is possible to get medical help and support for treatment. Although treatment for PTSD is very personal and specific to the individual, common treatments for PTSD include medication, counseling, specialized trauma therapy, and support groups. The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) and Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) are two examples of resources PTSD sufferers can check out that provide health benefits and compensation for 9/11 PTSD sufferers.

Citation: Chatterjee, R. (2021, September 10). For many who were present, the 9/11 attacks have had a lasting mental health impact. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/09/08/1035224815/for-many-there-that-day-the-attacks-on-9-11-have-had-lasting-mental-health-impact