The impact of 9/11 on patients in New York City's substance abuse treatment programs.
OBJECTIVE
This article assesses the impact of the attacks on 9/11 in New York City on drug use, relapse, and mental health from the perspective of drug users and patients in substance abuse treatment programs.


METHODS
Structured interviews were conducted with 16 administrators and 75 randomly selected patients at 15 substance abuse treatment programs in New York City from December 2002 to April 2003.


RESULTS
Drug use and relapse was a significant issue on and after 9/11. While Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was related to drug use, other preexisting mental health problems were not. Men were more likely to relapse than women; however, women were more emotionally affected by events following 9/11.


CONCLUSIONS
The attacks on 9/11 may have contributed to relapse among drug users and exacerbated existing mental health problems among patients with a history of concurrent drug use and mental illness.
Dewart
Tracey
T
New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, New Yor, New York, USA. tracey@eckersley.com
Frank
Blanche
B
Schmeidler
James
J
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D009519:New York City; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D023481:Terrorism / Q000523:psychology*