Stress symptoms soared for millions of Americans who watched televised broadcasts of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, even among those who lived far from where the attacks took place, according to the results of a survey.

The survey, from RAND, a research institute in Santa Monica, California, showed that of the 560 American adults interviewed, 44% reported one or more substantial symptoms of stress 3 to 5 days after the attack. Ninety percent reported experiencing at least some degree of stress.

Many people were experiencing stress at a substantial level. Those interviewed reported difficulty concentrating, repeated disturbing thoughts about the tragedy, irritability and trouble falling asleep.

Adults watched an average of 8.1 hours of television coverage of the attacks, the survey revealed, and those who watched more than the average were more likely to report symptoms of stress.

One finding of particular interest was that people all over the United States -- both in large cities and small communities -- were reacting to this event in a similar fashion.

Americans viewed this not just as an event happening in New York or Washington, but as an attack on America and themselves. Children were not spared symptoms of stress, the survey found. Nearly half of all children were worried about their own safety or the safety of loved ones and 35% had one or more stress symptoms such as sleeplessness, irritability and inability to concentrate.

Children watched, on average, about 3 hours of television coverage on September 11. Eighty-four percent of parents said that they or another adult discussed the attacks for one hour or more with children and 34% reported that they restricted their children's television viewing.

Americans seemed to use similar coping mechanisms to deal with their stress. The pollsters report that 98% said they talked at length about the events with others, 90% turned to religion, 60% participated in group activities such as vigils or discussions, and 36% donated clothes, money or blood.

Overall, the findings underscore the fact that even people far away from a catastrophe can experience high levels of stress, Schuster pointed out.

The New England Journal of Medicine 2001;345:1507-1512

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

The fact that stress levels have gone up since 9/11 clearly is not new information as it has been well documented in the media and this newsletter. The interesting perspective that this report seems to hold for us is that there was a direct correlation to the level of TV that one watched and the level of stress that was experienced. This certainly reinforces what I have been strongly advocating for quite some time. We really need to turn our TVs off. They really are not helping us, and we are only fooling ourselves when we justify we are watching to keep informed. There is a far greater likelihood that watching the TV will cause far more problems than it solves. It is quite easy to keep informed of current events by viewing the major media news sites. My current favorites are: New York Times Washington Post CNN Additionally, as many of you are well aware by now, I am absolutely convinced that EFT is one of the most effective tools to address any stresses that may have already resulted from excessive media exposure. I taught my first workshop on EFT on November 17 and we had to turn away many more people than were able to attend. I am also teaching an 8 hour workshop on December 1 and the videos will be available shortly. Related Articles: Don't Be Afraid of Bioterrorism Terrorism Tied to Jump in Pain Problems