Mainers seeking counseling after attacks

WASHINGTON – Despite Maine’s geographical distance from New York City and Washington, D.C., state residents have still keenly felt the impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and Maine’s mental health workers say they are prepared to address the mental scars that could last for quite some time.

Some local counselors have offered free services and the University of Maine’s Student Counseling Center has been overwhelmed with students seeking help in dealing with the psychological effects of the attacks.

Students have been visiting the counseling center in record numbers since the terrorist attacks two weeks ago, but not with concerns directly related to the attacks, said Doug Johnson, director of the center.

“The tragedy has wiped away some of [the students’] firm footing,” said Johnson. “In this kind of trauma, one thing that is shaken is their world view. … It reduces our resilience … our ability to have confidence.”

At a hearing Wednesday of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, several specialists spoke of the potential psychological trauma inflicted by the attacks.

“Though many, if not most, people will cope successfully with the horror and stress of the last two weeks, some will develop psychiatric symptoms, which could worsen over time,” said Spencer Eth, M.D.

In a survey of 1,200 Americans after the attack, the Pew Research Center found that 71 percent said they have felt depressed since the attacks; nearly half have had difficulty concentrating; a third had trouble sleeping.

“Virtually no one is unaffected,” said Carol North, M.D., another member of the testifying panel.

“Any illusion we might have had that we were immune to such acts of massive random violence has been shattered,” said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in a statement. “Given the size and scope of the attack, the potential for serious mental and emotional trauma is tremendous.” A member of the committee, the Maine senator was unable to attend the hearing due to scheduling conflicts, according to a spokesperson.

With so many Americans responding emotionally to the terrorist attacks, the mental health needs of college students cannot be overlooked. For students with past trauma experience, the attacks have rekindled those memories, said Johnson of UMaine.

Eth, an American Psychiatric Association fellow, concurs. “We have found that people who have had prior traumas and losses, and persons with serious psychiatric and medical illnesses are reacting with intense symptoms of anxiety and depression.”

For students without previous traumas, youth does seem to work as an advantage in dealing with issues of this scope. “A lot of young people don’t have the context for understanding the gravity of the situation,” said Johnson. “Their context seems to be videos and video games … so they don’t have the full experience.”

Some international students at the University of Maine said that experiencing the Sept. 11 attacks only made them feel more a part of the American community than ever before.