The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center sent thousands of terrified people running for their lives. Many of those survivors — and perhaps tens of thousands of other New Yorkers — are now showing classic symptoms of the anxiety disorders that typically develop after a horrifying event. America's largest mental health emergency has turned the spotlight on the debate over which treatments are most effective for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research indicates the most effective treatment is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), but it doesn't work for all patients, and most therapists are more familiar with “talk therapy.” Experts hope the largest-scale effort to treat PTSD ever attempted — now taking place in New York — will help determine which is the most beneficial treatment.

Sarah Glazer specializes in health, education and social-policy issues. Her articles have appeared in The Washington Post, Glamour, The Public Interest and Gender and Work, a book of essays. Glazer covered energy legislation for the Environmental and Energy Study Conference and reported for United Press International. She holds a BA in American history from the University of Chicago.