9/11: Mental Health in the Wake of Terrorist Attacks

Does terrorism have a unique and significant emotional and behavioral impact among adults and children? In what way does the impact of terrorism exceed the individual level and affect communities and specific professional groups, and test different leadership styles? How were professional communities of mental health clinicians, policy-makers and researchers mobilized to respond to the emerging needs post disaster? What are the lessons learned from the work conducted after 9/11, and the implications for future disaster mental health work and preparedness efforts? Yuval Neria and his team are uniquely placed to answer these questions having been involved in modifying ongoing trials and setting up new ones in New York to address these issues straight after the attacks. No psychiatrist, mental health professional or policy-maker should be without this book.

Review of the hardback: 'This is a great and exciting book; a volume filled with stories of endeavour, achievement, appraisal and learning; stories of heroism, challenge and hope. It will become a handbook for all who would research the impact of disaster and terrorism on mental health and well-being.' Beverley Raphael, from the Foreword, Review of the hardback: 'Refreshingly, the books contributors freely and vigorously critique each other's chapters … it offers an important contribution to the disaster mental health literature.' British Medical Journal, Review of the hardback: 'This book will continue to appeal to people working in the PTSD industry. There is a lot of material here that is relevant to the ongoing situation in a wide variety of countries.' Martin Guha, King's College London

Dr Neria is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medical Psychology at the Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology at Columbia University and Associate Director of Trauma Studies and Services at The New York State Psychiatric Institute. Date of birth: July 9 1952. Raz Gross, MD, MPH received his M.D. degree from Tel Aviv University. After training in medicine and residency in psychiatry, Dr Gross moved to New York where he completed a 3-year postdoctoral fellowship in Psychiatric Epidemiology at Columbia University, and also received his Masters in Public Health degree. Dr Gross is currently an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Psychiatry at Columbia. He is involved in studies of workers who participated in the clean-up and recovery effort at ground zero after September 11, and of the mental health consequences of 9/11 on primary care patients in Northern Manhattan. Dr Gross is also a member of the core research team conducting a web-based survey on the psychological effects of losing a loved one on 9/11. His other areas of research include studies examining the relationship between psychiatric and medical conditions; prenatal and early life risk factors for major psychiatric disorders; and clinical trials. Randall Marshal is Director of Trauma Studies and Services, New York State Psychiatric Institute; Associate Director, Anxiety Disorders Clinic, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Ezra Susser is Professor of Epidemiology and Psychiatry at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, and Head of the Department of Epidemiology of Brain Disorders at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.