Volume of VA Patients With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the New York Metropolitan Area After September 11

• Published in: Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 54; no. 12; pp. 1641 - 1643
• Main Authors: Weissman, Ellen M, Kushner, Mara, Marcus, Susan M, Davis, Donald F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychiatric Publishing 01-12-2003; American Psychiatric Association
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Analysis. Health state; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Biological and medical sciences; Epidemiology; General aspects; Humans; Medical sciences; New Jersey - epidemiology; New York City - epidemiology; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Retrospective Studies; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Terrorism; United States; United States Department of Veterans Affairs; Veterans - psychology; New York; United States; North America; America; New York City; New Jersey; Human; Symptomatology; Statistical analysis; Posttraumatic syndrome; Terrorism; Anxiety disorder; Diagnosis; Veteran; Epidemiology; Public health; Comparative study; Stress
• ISSN: 1075-2730; 1557-9700
• DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.54.12.1641

The authors examined data from the Veterans Integrated Service Network of New York and New Jersey to determine whether the number of veterans who were treated for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increased significantly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. They analyzed the number of veterans treated for PTSD at Veterans Healthcare Administration facilities in New York and New Jersey from September 1999 through June 2002. The number of veterans treated for PTSD in these facilities after September 11 exceeded projections based on secular trends, and the increase was more pronounced than for other diagnostic groups. The results highlight the need to ensure adequate availability of services in the wake of traumatic events.