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Psychiatric medication use among Manhattan residents following the World Trade Center disaster
Author(s) -
Boscarino Joseph A.,
Galea Sandro,
Ahern Jennifer,
Resnick Heidi,
Vlahov David
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1023/a:1023708410513
Subject(s) - panic , psychiatry , panic disorder , anxiety disorder , posttraumatic stress , medicine , suicide prevention , occupational safety and health , poison control , injury prevention , psychology , anxiety , medical emergency , pathology
To assess medication use in New York after the September 11th attacks, a telephone survey was conducted in October 2001 ( N = 1,008). The prevalence of psychiatric medication use 30 days before the disaster was 8.9 and 11.6% 30 days after, a small but significant increase. The most important factor predicting postdisaster use was predisaster use—92% of those who used medications postdisaster used them predisaster. In addition, 3.3% used psychiatric medications 30 days postdisaster, but not 30 days before. Those who had panic attacks, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and insurance coverage, were the most likely medicated (26.5%). However, among those who used postdisaster medications ( n = 129), new users tended to be those with panic attacks (44.1%) and those with panic attacks and PTSD (69.2%).