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Many Americans Still Feeling Effects of September 11th; Are Reexamining Their Priorities in Life
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 11, 2002
CONTACT:
Luana Bossolo
Dawn Bergantino
American Psychological Association
202-336-5898
Bill Lichtenstein
Michelle Gutman
The Infinite Mind
212-765-6600
A significant number of Americans are still feeling the mental health effects of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, and large majorities say they are reexamining their priorities in life, a new survey has found.
The survey, commissioned by The Infinite Mind public radio series and the American Psychological Association, also finds that people living in the New York area and people who have experienced past traumatic events are more likely than others to be showing signs of mental health problems five months after the attacks.
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research conducted the survey of 1,900 Americans from January 30th to February 2, 2002. The results are featured on an upcoming two-hour radio special of The Infinite Mind, entitled “State of Mind: America 2002,” which will begin airing this week across the country.
Among the findings:
- Nearly one in four Americans (24 percent) report feeling more depressed or anxious today than at other times in their life.
- And while most of these Americans attribute their feelings of depression or anxiety to personal trauma or financial woes, 16 percent say their depressed or anxious mood is a direct result of September 11th. In real terms, there are about 8 million Americans who report they are feeling depressed or anxious because of the attacks on New York and Washington
The survey finds that the impact of September 11th is not limited to those areas directly hit in the attacks – 40 percent of Americans say that they were seriously affected by the terrorist attacks on a personal level.
The survey also shows that many Americans are bouncing back from the trauma:
- Eighty-one percent of Americans agree that in the aftermath of September 11th that they are trying to look beyond setbacks in their lives and move on.
- And only 21 percent of Americans say that they are worried that a member of their family will become a victim of a terrorist attack – down significantly from these worries in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.
“Without question the events of September 11th have had a real impact on this country’s mental health,” says Russ Newman, Ph.D., J.D., Executive Director for Professional Practice at the American Psychological Association. “Yet, this survey also shows that Americans are quite resilient and are working their way back from this tragedy.”
The survey also finds that Americans are reexamining their lives in light of the events on September 11th.
- More than three-quarters of Americans (77 percent) agree that they have tried to simplify their lives and focus more on what really matters.
- Seventy-one percent of Americans report having spent more time trying to gain perspective on their lives.
Significant numbers of New York area residents are still hurting, however.
- New Yorkers are almost twice as likely as people elsewhere to report having experienced an array of symptoms commonly associated with depression (9 percent in New York vs. 5 percent nationally), anxiety (6 percent in New York vs. 3 percent nationally), and post-traumatic stress (12 percent in New York vs. 5 percent nationally).
- New Yorkers who say their mental health has declined are also twice as likely as those nationally to cite September 11th for their feelings of depression or anxiety.
- At a more basic level, 40 percent of New York area residents – twice the national average – say they “get nervous when they hear sirens or airplanes overhead.”
People who report having experienced past traumatic incidents – being in combat, abuse as a child, life-threatening accidents – are also significantly more likely to report symptoms commonly associated with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress.
“It would be a mistake to assume that time is healing everyone’s emotional wounds at the same rate,” said Bill Lichtenstein, executive producer of The Infinite Mind radio series. “This research indicates that there is a significant ‘trauma gap’ right now in the United States. We need to make sure that all Americans get the help they need to move ahead with their lives.”
The survey shows that people are reaching out for mental health services, but many of those directly affected by the terrorist attacks have not been to mental health professionals or even considered going.
- Seven percent of Americans say they have gone to a mental health professional as a direct result of September 11th.
- A similar proportion says they have taken prescription medications as a direct result of the attacks – up noticeably from similar measures prior to the events.
- However, only 1 in 5 people who say they are feeling depressed or anxious as a direct result of the terrorist attacks report having seen a mental health professional, and only 3 in 10 say they have considered it.
Residents in the Washington, D.C area are far less likely than New Yorkers – and even those elsewhere in the nation – to report feeling depressed or anxious. Washingtonians seem less introspective and personally affected by the attacks than the rest of the nation.
- Almost one-quarter of Americans report feeling more depressed or anxious now than at other times in their lives (27 percent in New York), but only 16 percent in the Washington area.
- Washington area residents are also far less likely than those in New York to report having an array of symptoms commonly associated with depression (3 percent in Washington vs. 9 percent in New York), anxiety (1 percent in Washington vs. 6 percent in New York), or post-traumatic stress (3 percent in Washington vs. 12 percent in New York).
- Thirty-eight percent of Washington area residents say that they have spent more time trying to gain perspective on their lives, compared to 71 percent of those nationally and 67 percent of New York area residents.
A report on the research will kick off The Infinite Mind special two-hour town hall broadcast “State of Mind: America 2002.” The program, taped simultaneously before live audiences at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. and at the Museum of Television & Radio in New York City, explores the mental health and emotional well-being of the nation. The broadcast is hosted jointly by Dr. Fred Goodwin, former director of the National Institute of Mental Health and a distinguished clinician and research scientist, and by John Hockenberry, noted television and radio journalist. Participants include U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, Tipper Gore, psychiatrist and author Dr. Peter Kramer, noted clergyman William Sloane Coffin, and Marian Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund, with special musical performances by opera star Jessye Norman and singer/songwriter Judy Collins.
The American Psychological Association (APA), located in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world’s largest association of psychologists. APA’s membership includes more than 155,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its 53 divisions and its affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting human welfare.
The Infinite Mind public radio program airs weekly in more than 170 markets across the United States and Canada. Produced by the Peabody Award-winning Lichtenstein Creative Media, the program is hosted by Dr. Fred Goodwin with weekly commentaries by John Hockenberry. Major underwriting for The Infinite Mind is provided by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research is a world-renowned public opinion and strategic research company that works for issue organizations, political campaigns and companies across the globe. The firm, based in Washington D.C., has more than two decades experience examining social currents and issues in the United States. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner has conducted extensive research into the after-effects of the September 11th attacks, particularly the mental health consequences.
1 The survey includes a random sample of 1,500 people nationwide, and an additional 400 interviews in the New York and Washington, D.C. areas. The results for the national sample are subject to a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percent. Results for the New York sample are subject to a margin of error of +/- 5.9 percent and those for D.C. are subject to a margin of error of +/- 6.6 percent.
2 These designations should not be interpreted as clinical diagnoses; they are designed merely to highlight patterns of each mental health problem. To be included in the depression category in the survey, a respondent must have said that they are feeling depressed or depressed and anxious compared to other times in their lives and have experienced 5 or more individual symptoms of depression of 10 presented in the survey. For anxiety, a respondent must have said they are feeling anxious or depressed and anxious compared to other times in their lives and have experienced 6 or more individual symptoms of anxiety of 12 presented in the survey. For post-traumatic stress, a respondent must have experienced a prior traumatic experience in their lives that they classified as “traumatic” and have experienced 6 or more individual symptoms of post-traumatic stress out of 18 presented in the survey.
The survey was also supported in part by the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign, a nationwide, anti-stigma, public education campaign announced jointly by President Clinton and Tipper Gore in June 1999 as part of the first-ever White House Conference on Mental Health.
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