New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, World Trade Center Health Registry, Queens, NY 11101, USA.
New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Vital Statistics, New York, NY 10013, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Dec 22;19(1):57. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19010057.
Previous research has found higher than expected suicide mortality among rescue/recovery workers (RRWs) enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR). Whether any enrollee suicides are related to the decedents' experiences on 9/11 is unknown. We abstracted medical examiner file data to learn more about 9/11-related circumstances of suicides among WTCHR enrollees.
We identified 35 enrollee suicide cases that occurred in New York City using linked vital records data. We reviewed medical examiner files on each case, abstracting demographic and circumstantial data. We also reviewed survey data collected from each case at WTCHR enrollment (2003-2004) and available subsequent surveys to calculate descriptive statistics.
Cases were mostly non-Hispanic White (66%), male (83%), and middle-aged (median 58 years). Nineteen decedents (54%) were RRWs, and 32% of them worked at the WTC site for >90 days compared to 18% of the RRW group overall. In the medical examiner files of two cases, accounts from family mentioned 9/11-related circumstances, unprompted. All deaths occurred during 2004-2018, ranging from one to four cases per year. Leading mechanisms were hanging/suffocation (26%), firearm (23%), and jump from height (23%). Sixty percent of the cases had depression mentioned in the files, but none mentioned posttraumatic stress disorder.
RRWs may be at particular risk for suicide, as those who worked at the WTC site for long periods appeared to be more likely to die by suicide than other RRWs. Mental health screening and treatment must continue to be prioritized for the 9/11-exposed population. More in-depth investigations of suicides can elucidate the ongoing impacts of 9/11.
之前的研究发现，在世贸中心健康登记处（WTCHR）注册的救援/恢复工作人员（RRWs）的自杀死亡率高于预期。目前尚不清楚 WTCHR 注册者中是否有任何自杀者与死者在 911 事件中的经历有关。我们从法医档案中提取数据，以了解更多有关 WTCHR 注册者中与 911 相关的自杀情况。
我们使用链接的生命记录数据，在纽约市确定了 35 名 RRW 自杀案例。我们审查了每个案例的法医档案，提取了人口统计学和环境数据。我们还审查了每个案例在世贸中心登记处（2003-2004 年）和随后的调查中收集的调查数据，以计算描述性统计数据。
案例主要为非西班牙裔白人（66％），男性（83％）和中年（中位数 58 岁）。19 名死者（54％）为 RRW，其中 32％的人在 WTC 工作了> 90 天，而 RRW 组的这一比例为 18％。在两个案例的法医档案中，家属的陈述中提到了与 9/11 有关的情况，而没有任何提示。所有死亡均发生在 2004 年至 2018 年期间，每年有 1 至 4 例。主要的死亡机制为上吊/窒息（26％），枪击（23％）和跳楼（23％）。档案中提到 60％的案例有抑郁症状，但没有提到创伤后应激障碍。
RRW 可能面临特殊的自杀风险，因为那些在世贸中心工作时间较长的人似乎比其他 RRW 更容易自杀。必须继续将心理健康筛查和治疗作为优先事项，为 9/11 受灾人群提供服务。对自杀事件进行更深入的调查可以阐明 9/11 的持续影响。
