Posttraumatic stress disorder in survivors of the Brooklyn Bridge shooting.

OBJECTIVE

The authors documented the frequency of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in civilian victims of urban terrorism.

METHOD: A recent shooting attack on a van of Hasidic students provided a unique opportunity to document responses of survivors in this targeted group. Eleven of 14 survivors were compared with age-matched subjects on a variety of questionnaires and clinical evaluations.

RESULTS

Of the 11 survivors, four were diagnosed with PTSD (all of whom also had concurrent major depressive disorder), one with major depressive disorder, and two with adjustment disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings are interpreted in the context of unique factors contributing to the heightened vulnerability of this group.