National Expert on Post-Traumatic Stress Warns Public About Seeing 'World Trade Center' for Fear of Triggering Emotional Problems

National Expert on Post-Traumatic Stress Warns Public About Seeing 'World Trade Center' for Fear of Triggering Emotional Problems

Leading Researcher on Lingering Effects of 9/11 says that Oliver Stone's Film Could Have Strong Impact on Those Affected and Should be Viewed with Caution

DANVILLE, Pa., Aug. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the nation's leading authorities on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is warning some individuals to not see the new film "World Trade Center" for fear it could trigger emotional problems and adversely affect the healing process.

"Those individuals who had emotional difficulty dealing with the events of 9/11 shouldn't see the film," said Joseph Boscarino, Ph.D., MPH, senior investigator at Geisinger Center for Health Research. "Repeated studies have shown that movies such as this can trigger emotional problems in some people even five years later. And the heightened terrorist alerts based on the most recent events in London only serve to accentuate this situation."

Dr. Boscarino was a senior scientist at the New York Academy of Medicine when his train passed through the World Trade Center on 9/11. Following the attacks, he began studying the mental health status and needs of New Yorkers including alcohol use, compassion fatigue and worker productivity. His findings on the lingering effects of PTSD and other mental health impacts, published in peer-review journals, are now being used in developing treatment models and in disaster planning and research.

According to Dr. Boscarino, people living in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in particular will be "heavily affected by the movie" and "should be advised against re-exposing themselves to this experience." Beyond those local residents, Dr. Boscarino says that even people not directly touched by 9/11 could be emotionally distressed by this film and may want to avoid the movie altogether.

"Even though it's a movie, it can have a strong emotional impact," he said. "Memories get stored, become part of your emotional response, and can be triggered by these kinds of films."

Dr. Boscarino first earned national attention studying the physical health impacts of PTSD on Vietnam veterans. In addition to his Geisinger post, Dr. Boscarino is an adjunct associate professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, N.Y. His work on combat stress and veterans has been written about in the New York Times and USA Today as well as featured on CBS's "Early Show" and the BBC.

Geisinger Health System is the foremost rural healthcare provider in the United States. Founded in 1915, it has evolved into one of the nation's leading fully integrated healthcare providers. Serving more than two million residents throughout central and northeastern Pennsylvania, the physician-led organization is at the forefront of the country's rapidly emerging electronic health records movement. With three major regional medical centers and a 650-member group practice, the pioneering system is home to the industry's pre-eminent not-for-profit rural HMO and the renowned Geisinger Center for Health Research -- dedicated to creating innovative new models for patient care, satisfaction and clinical outcomes. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org.

Source: Geisinger Health System

CONTACT: Jim Yeager, +1-818-597-8453, for Geisinger Health System

Web site: http://www.geisinger.org/

-------
Profile: intent