Although it happened 20 years ago, 9/11 is continuing to affect survivors, bystanders, loved ones of those who perished, and many others. The extent of these effects can be seen both in the physical and mental health of people, from those who struggle with cancer, below-normal lung function, depression, and numerous other afflictions.
Physical Effects
In 2001, the World Trade Center (WTC) was home to anywhere from 30,000-50,000 people on any given day according to the 911 Memorial. Out of these workers and in combination with first responders, around 3,000 perished from the attacks. So what exactly happened to those who survived the attacks?
Much of the information that is known about the residual effects of 9/11 come through the WTC Health Program, a federal limited program dedicated to helping workers and first responders affected by the attack. From this program, Scientific American reports that “about 74 percent of responders in the WTC Health Program have been diagnosed with at least one physical or mental health condition directly linked to 9/11 exposure, including 20 percent with cancer and 28 percent with a mental health condition.”
One particularly hard-hit group of first responders was the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), which according to Scientific American “lost 343 people on 9/11, but more than 200 have died since.”
First responders as a whole were heavily impacted by the conditions endured during their rescue efforts. According to an article from nyc.gov, “Six to seven years after 9/11, four times as many firefighters and twice as many EMS workers had below-normal lung function for their ages, as before the attacks. Lung function declines were greater for current smokers than for non-smokers […] people who suffered more than one injury on 9/11 and have 9/11-related PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder] are three times more likely to develop heart disease as people who weren’t injured and didn’t have PTSD.”
Mental & Emotional Effects
While the physical ailments and injuries were limited to those working at the WTC or directly impacted by the attacks, the scope of mental health afflictions was much more widespread.
Starting directly after the attacks, a September 13-17, 2001 Pew Research Center poll found that “A sizable majority of adults (71%) said they felt depressed, nearly half (49%) had difficulty concentrating and a third said they had trouble sleeping.”
Many Americans felt as though they had no place to turn. In that same survey, 63% of Americans said that they could not stop watching the news, while 92% of respondents said that they felt sad watching news coverage. Further contributing to this was residual fear, with 28% of Americans claiming to be “very” worried about another attack and 45% stating to be “somewhat” concerned about another attack in surveys throughout the fall by the Pew Research Center. Moreover, in another poll by Pew a year later, “about half of adults said they felt more afraid, more careful, more distrustful or more vulnerable as a result of the attacks.”
Over the years many survivors and first responders have developed mental health conditions. Of surviving first responders, “16 percent have a mental health condition, such as PTSD, depression or substance abuse” according to an article in Scientific American, which goes on to reveal that two decades later, “about 9 percent of FDNY veterans of 9/11 still have PTSD, and 18 percent have depression.” For reference, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) “Depression is a common illness worldwide, with an estimated 3.8% of the population affected, including 5.0% among adults and 5.7% among adults older than 60 years.”
According to nyc.gov’s information page on 9/11, as a whole, “Up to 20% of adults directly exposed to the disaster or injured in the attack had PTSD symptoms 5 to 6 years after the attack; this is four times the rate in the general population.” Of those on the World Trade Center Health Registry 10 years after the attacks, 15% continued to suffer from PTSD, with persistent or worsening symptoms present mainly in those “who were unable to get mental health treatment, had high 9/11-related exposure, were unemployed, or had little social support.”Despite residual stigma surrounding mental health, it is important to seek help when needed. Mental health challenges can result at any time, with no trigger, and there’s no level of crisis too small to seek help. Visit nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/en/ for more information.
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