Pubdate: Fri, 12 Oct 2001
Source: Associated Press (Wire)
Copyright: 2001 Associated Press
Author: Theresa Agovino (AP)

NY SALES OF ANTI-DEPRESSANTS SURGE

NEW YORK (AP) - Sales of anti-anxiety drugs, anti-depressants and sleep 
aids have surged since last month's terrorist attacks, particularly in New 
York, as the nation struggled with everything from survivor guilt to 
depression.

In the weeks after terrorists turned airplanes into missiles that destroyed 
the World Trade Center and part of the Pentagon, new prescriptions for 
sleep aids rose 27.5 percent in New York City, where 4,776 remain missing 
and 384 are confirmed dead.

New prescriptions for anti-anxiety drugs rose 25 percent, and new 
prescriptions for anti-depressants jumped 17 percent from the week before 
the attack to the week ended Sep. 28, according to NDCHealth, which gleaned 
the figures from retail sales.

Psychiatrist Richard Pearlman has found himself prescribing more medication 
than he usually would, but said "this situation is far from usual."

"Patients think if they use medication they can come to grips with what 
happened," he said. "But people shouldn't try to sweep emotions under the 
rug. We need to all work through what happened."

In Washington, D.C., new prescriptions for anti-anxiety drugs and 
anti-depressants each jumped about 13 percent, while prescriptions for 
sleep aids increased 8.8 percent, Atlanta-based NDCHealth said.

Nationally, new prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications jumped 8.6 
percent, prescriptions for sleep aids rose 7.5 percent and anti-depressants 
only grew 2.6 percent.

Experts say it is too soon to say whether the trend will continue, but no 
one is expecting an immediate decline.

"I think we are going to stay high but it won't go through the roof," said 
Dr. Craig Katz, the director of Psychiatric Emergency Services at Mount 
Sinai Hospital in New York. "Some people will improve and not need 
medication, but if we are doing our outreach correctly there will be more 
people taking their place."

Katz and a team of psychiatrists has been doing outreach at the center 
where families of victims of the Trade Center collapse receive social 
services. He has recommended further therapy to between one-third to one 
half of patients he has seen.

Dr. Gail Saltz said she has seen a pronounced increase in her business - 
and not just from those directly effected from the crisis.

Saltz says her practice has increased by 25 percent and about half her new 
patients don't have any direct connection to the tragedy.

"These people just feel they have no control over their lives," said Saltz. 
She has prescribed sleeping medication for three of her new patients 
because she felt the added rest would makes them less agitated and depressed.

Pearlman, who is acting chair of the behavioral health Service division of 
the Staten Island region of St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New 
York, said both his private practice and visits to the hospital's mental 
health clinics are up 50 percent, and he doesn't expect a downshift soon.

"This is not a problem that is going away. It is not like we had a tornado 
and it's over and we can rebuild," said Pearlman. "People are worried about 
more attacks."
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