{"id":161,"date":"2022-06-25T05:39:59","date_gmt":"2022-06-25T05:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/isabellarolz.com\/website\/?p=161"},"modified":"2022-06-25T05:39:59","modified_gmt":"2022-06-25T05:39:59","slug":"new-york-city-psychiatrist-helps-first-care-responders-since-9-11-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/isabellarolz.com\/website\/index.php\/2022\/06\/25\/new-york-city-psychiatrist-helps-first-care-responders-since-9-11-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"New York City Psychiatrist Helps First Care Responders Since 9\/11 Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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11th September 2001: a fateful morning that took the lives of 3,000 Americans and people from other nationalities. Terror, violence<\/a>, and panic<\/a> were present across New York City. For first care responders who moved quickly, provided services to save as many lives as possible and put their own lives at risk, the years after brought consequences, including severe trauma<\/a>, pain<\/a>, depression<\/a>, and anxiety<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Demaria, a psychiatrist from New York City, has specialised in treating firefighters<\/a>, police officers, and their families since the 9\/11 attacks. \u2018After that kind of mass tragedy, it is complicated for people to keep functioning for themselves. Especially because what they are going through is unique. So, they require proper treatment and a support group to get to know other people that understand what they are going through,\u2019 he shares. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healing then becomes more complex because \u2018\u2026you cannot get away from it. You see it every year on the news, radio, print media \u2026 so it is hard to escape from it,\u2019 he says. For a lot of them, \u2018it was a long journey to accept that they needed help \u2026 they were just doing their job.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the clinical director of Home Ground 9\/11 First Responder Alliance, Dr Demaria has developed innovative approaches to help them cope, regain their lives, and assist their families too. His project combines both therapy and bonding-related activities. They started sharing meals, playing games, and most importantly, spending time with people who went through a similar situation to create a safe space and make it easier for these men \u201cto let go the strong emotions they had inside slowly,\u2019 he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a while, they were surrounded by a community that was anxious from the terrorist attacks. So, they felt both frightened and isolated<\/a>. \u2018Nobody understood what they were going through. Except for another person that was going through the same situation. With the help of treatment facilitators, it can help a lot to cover that wound at some degree.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, several first care responders developed various cancers or other serious health problems due to the chemicals and dust to which they were exposed that day. \u2018A lot of them had to retire, and this was challenging for them,\u2019 he adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Demaria says that they do not like to be seen as heroes; this is a term that makes them uncomfortable, and \u2018if you ask them if they would do it again, most of them say yes,\u2019 he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the men, especially the sick ones, Dr Demaria has got them to write a legacy narrative. \u2018They dictate it to me; I type it for them, and eventually, they will share it with their loved ones.\u2019 Through this type of\u00a0storytelling<\/a>\u00a0technique, \u2018I not only encourage them to feel like a super person but help them put into words the pain they feel,\u2019 he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the 9\/11 attacks, Dr Demaria has been recognised by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies for his clinical work related to first care responders and their families. \u2018It is extremely satisfying for me to know that I am helping them cope healthily, with what they lived 20 years ago.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Isabella Rolz is a freelance journalist from New York.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Psychreg is mainly for information purposes only; materials on this website are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. Don\u2019t disregard professional advice or delay in seeking  treatment because of what you have read on this website. Read our full disclaimer<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

11th September 2001: a fateful morning that took the lives of 3,000 Americans and people from other nationalities. Terror, violence, and panic were present across New York City. For first care responders who moved quickly, provided services to save as many lives as possible and put their own lives at risk, the years after brought consequences, including severe trauma, pain, depression,Continue reading “New York City Psychiatrist Helps First Care Responders Since 9\/11 Attacks”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/isabellarolz.com\/website\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/isabellarolz.com\/website\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/isabellarolz.com\/website\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/isabellarolz.com\/website\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/isabellarolz.com\/website\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/isabellarolz.com\/website\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162,"href":"http:\/\/isabellarolz.com\/website\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161\/revisions\/162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/isabellarolz.com\/website\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/isabellarolz.com\/website\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/isabellarolz.com\/website\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}