• Near-victims Healing Post 9/11

    by  • September 26, 2011 • Features • 0 Comments

    By ERICA BUCHMAN AND JEREMY KELLY

    Sept. 11, 2001 began as a normal day, but by early morning, it would become tragic for the nearly 3,000 who perished at the World Trade Center, The Pentagon and a field in Pa. after acts of terrorism. But for those who sat at home anxious for news or those who escaped the crashing towers, there was no shortage of grief or anxiety, and it remains so for them, as they walk alive 10 years later.

    Angelica Colón, a former employee of ITT Hartford Insurance Group (located in 7 World Trade Center), stayed home sick with the flu on Sept. 11—her near miss with death put her in a state of anxiety she never before experienced.

    “I was extremely jumpy all the time—every time the phone rang, or my daughter cried (she was a year old), I would have what felt like a minor panic attack,” Colón said. “My husband had to constantly reassure me that I was safe. I eventually saw a psychologist who told me I was suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder.”

    General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by persistent, excessive, and unrealistic worry about everyday things. People with the disorder experience exaggerated worry and tension, often expecting the worst, even when there is no apparent reason for concern.

    According to the National Institute of Anxiety and Stress, Inc., it affects approximately 40 million Americans, age 18 years and older, which accounts for nearly 18 percent of the population every year.

    An article on anxiety symptoms states that there are over 100 symptoms, and the type and frequency could vary from person to person. They include, but are not limited to, heart palpitations, chest pain, numbness and nausea. Sources suggest different methods of treatment, which include cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy and types of medication.

    Dr. Judith Krusell, a psychologist from Colts Neck, N.J., described in a phone interview how she had a number of patients that were affected by the attacks.

    “I didn’t have people who lost people, but who (the patients) were near Ground Zero on the day.” She also said how her patients had to spend much time working through the issues that they had, and how their visits with her eventually decreased.

    Elizabeth Ryba, of Newark, N.J., was on her way to work that day when she saw the first plane hit the north tower. Her niece, Marianna Martins, describes Ryba’s reaction to what she saw. Click here to listen to Marianna’s full story.

    “I have a more profound sense of respect for aunt now,” Martins said. “Even though she passed away, what she went through emotionally after Sept. 11 is more intense than I can comprehend.”

    Ramapo psychologist shares his thoughts

    Psychologiest Joel Ingersoll talks about his memories of Sept. 11. PHOTO/Jeremy Kelly

    Dr. Joel Ingersoll is the associate director of Counseling Services at Ramapo College. He was in the process of getting his Ph.D., and was interning at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey on Sept. 11, 2001.

    “The director came in and said that there’s been a horrible tragedy. We put the TV on, and it was then that we learned about the planes crashing into the World Trade Center. Because of where we were, we were dispatched to a crisis call center right away,” Ingersoll recalls. “We had to very quickly man the phones and participate with crisis calls, from families who may have had spouses or friends who were emergency responders in the city, etc. We spent probably several weeks there, picking hours during those weeks there to help in that crisis center.

    “From that point,” he continued, “it became really interesting because, working so many different locations. I was exposed to seeing people in various contexts that were, in one way, shape or form, affected. For instance, one of my rotations was a psychiatric consultation, which took place in a hospital, so we would go around, see patients who were struggling with medical bonuses in the hospital, and we would do very brief psychiatric interviews, or ‘bedside psycho-therapy’ as they call it, for a few minutes.”

    He added, “I did a rotation in a prison, and many of the inmates were discussing the impact. They had friends in the city there, they lived in the city, they had families in the city, etc. So in various rotations that year, throughout the year, people were discussing that.”

    Lingering Grief

    The Observer, a British newspaper, reported a story about post-9/11 statistics in 2002, which revealed that there were approximately 1,300 orphans created by the attacks and a minimum of 422,000 New Yorkers suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which occurs “after you’ve seen or experienced a traumatic event that involved the threat of injury or death.”

    However, it isn’t always immediately following a tragedy that a person can suffer the effects of PTSD. Sources state that they commonly develop in the hours or days following the event, but it can also take weeks, months or even years before they appear. Specifically, it states the following:

    “After a traumatic experience, the mind and the body are in shock. But as you make sense of what happened and process your emotions, you come out of it. With post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), however, you remain in psychological shock. Your memory of what happened and your feelings about it are disconnected. In order to move on, it’s important to face and feel your memories and emotions.”

    Ph.D. Randy J. Hartman arranges a list of what he calls the "12 Steps of PTSD"

    “A general question that we ask people when they come in to see us is ‘Have you ever discussed this with anyone before?’” Ingersoll said. “And for people who have talked about their experience associated with 9/11, it might be ‘No, I’ve never really spent the time to talk about it before.’ Now this might have been four years after it occurred. Or it may have been four weeks or four months. So there’s a lot of variability there. And we hope that they seek out our services rather than feeling like they need to deal with this on their own.”

    In the years since Sept. 11, the annual date tends to re-open old wounds for people who were closely affected. “Part of what brings it up,” Krusell said, “is what’s shown on the media. It’s re-wounding seeing pictures of the planes.” She also referred to the media coverage in recent years as “sensational.”

    As of 2002, there was a 25 percent increase in alcohol consumption for Manhattanites following Sept. 11; there was a 10 percent increase in cigarette consumption, and a 3.2 percent increase in marijuana consumption, according to The Observer’s report.

    Assistance through communication

    People who have witnesses a traumatic event are just as prone to anxiety or PTSD as those who have been an outright victim, according to the National Mental Health Association. The various treatments available to those with PTSD include individual therapy, group therapy, and medication (although medication can only be a part of a psychiatrist’s treatment plan, not a psychologist’s).

    Colón’s psychologist recommended group therapy for her, understanding that hearing another’s account of the same event could help sort out her thoughts on Sept. 11.

    “I had two one-on-one sessions with my therapist before he suggested that I begin attending one of his group therapy sessions,” said Colón. “The sessions I sat in were exclusively for people who were involved with the Sept. 11 attacks. Everyone had a different story about what happened that day, but that we were all united by the single event helped me cope with my anxiety better than if I had just continued with individual therapy.”

    In addition to professional care, self-care is equally important when coping with GAD or PTSD, experts say. Keeping a journal, exercising, getting enough rest and relaxation, refraining from drugs and alcohol, and limiting caffeine intake are all healthy steps towards recovery. Ingersoll also strongly emphasizes the importance of self-care, and how the simple opportunity to talk about this issue can help one get past it.

    “My husband made sure not to keep alcohol in the house while I was in therapy,” Colón recalls. “His love and support meant more to me during that time than any help I was getting from a doctor.”

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