This study assessed the impact of the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks on emotional problems, prescription drug usage, and
utilization of medical and mental health services within the Chinese community in lower Manhattan. We administered a survey
to 148 randomly selected Chinese workers affected by the WTC attacks in March 2003. Although nearly half of the respondents
had elevated PTSD and/or elevated depression scores, only a few (4.4%) had talked to a counselor. However, nearly all (86%)
reported having visited a physician at least once since September 11, 2001. Individuals with elevated PTSD scores were significantly
more likely to have gone to a physician after 9/11. They were also more likely to have received prescription drugs and to
indicate an interest in counseling after 9/11 than individuals with low PTSD scores. The findings highlight the role of the
primary care physician as gatekeeper for mental health symptoms after a disaster. They further suggest that primary care physicians
should use screening tools for depression and posttraumatic stress after a major disaster and that they should be sensitive
to potential emotional problems that are associated with somatic complaints.
Keywords posttraumatic stress disorder - depression - World Trade Center - immigrants - displaced workers - disaster/terrorism - prescription drug use - Asian-American
At the time of the study, Dr. Thiel de Bocanegra was Vice-President for Research and Evaluation at Safe Horizon