Nearly 21 percent of the individuals screened in the study also say the
attacks impaired their daily functioning, according to the report in the
American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
“A substantial number of survey respondents reported emotional distress” after
the attacks, epidemiologist Nikki Jordan, M.P.H., of the U.S. Army Center
for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine and colleagues conclude.
Although the reported rates of distress are high, the researchers say,
they are “comparable to rates seen in other populations after terrorist
attacks.”
Jordan and colleagues offered a comprehensive survey addressing possible
exposures and health outcomes following the attack to all Pentagon personnel
between October 2001 and January 2002.
4,739 individuals, or a quarter of Pentagon personnel contacted, participated
in the survey. Most participants were male with slightly more than half
being civilians.
Most of the participants found to be at high risk for mental problems
reported symptoms consistent with generalized anxiety, panic attacks or
depression. About 8 percent were at high risk for post-traumatic stress
disorders and less than 3 percent were at risk for alcohol abuse. More
than half of the personnel who screened positive for the mental health
high-risk groups were at risk for two or more of these disorders.
Seventy-nine percent of the respondents said they were in or near the
Pentagon at the time of the attack or the subsequent rescue effort. About
a third of those reported being near Pentagon areas that were damaged in
the attack. 3.5 percent of respondents said they were injured as a result
of the attack.
The researchers acknowledge that the number of personnel reporting signs
of mental distress may be slightly higher than expected, since those in
distress may have been more likely to fill out the screening survey.
People at high risk for mental health problems were also more likely to
seek counseling from a mental health professional or chaplain after the
attack, the researchers found. Not all high-risk individuals sought out
help, however, suggesting further outreach is needed, according to Jordan.
“Stigma and other barriers to receiving treatment are widespread,
and it is likely there are higher levels of concern about potential career
consequences of mental health treatment among military or senior Department
of Defense personnel than among civilian working populations,” she
says.
The survey included a newly designed mental health screening tool produced
in part by coauthor Dr. Charles Hoge of the Walter Reed Army Institute
of Research.
