Thousands of FDNY 9/11 first responders still battling depression, PTSD after 25 years, new report reveals
Thousands of FDNY 9/11 first responders are still battling depression, PTSD and other mental health conditions 25 years after working at Ground Zero, according to a new report.About 14% of firefighters and EMS providers tracked by the World Trade Center Health Program continue to deal with depression, down from 36% who experienced it a year after the terror attack, according to a WTCHP report released Tuesday.
Another 6% were still suffering from PTSD more than two decades on — down from 16% who reported fighting the condition in 2002.About 28% of FDNY WTCHP members have suffered from at least one mental health condition, officials said.Despite the number of first responders still coping with mental health issues, the WTCHP noted that the improvements marked life-changing gains for those who had recovered.“Our members had post-traumatic stress disorder from having been down there so long, having seen body parts, having lost their own friends, their own coworkers,” Dr.
David J.Prezant told reporters on Tuesday.
“Here on the mental health side, we’ve seen real improvement.”“And here’s a very important finding: eight out of 10 of our members now feel that their health, their overall health, has improved to either good, very good, or excellent,” he added.“That’s dramatic improvement in quality of life.”The WTCHP has spent the last 25 years monitoring the health of first responders and issuing reports on their health progress after many were left fighting myriad ailments contracted on 9/11 and the days after from injury, contact with hazardous materials or psychological trauma from the horror.
More than 14,000 such first responders — 12,158 firefighters and 1,920 EMS providers — are still providing health information for the WTCHP’s records, about 84% of whom are still receiving WTCHP healthcare support.Like mental heath, cancer remains and ongoing challenge for the heroes who raced to Ground Zero.Overall, 26% — or 4,257 FDNY WTCHP mem...