Trauma PSAs Offer Help as 9/11 Reminders Trigger Emotional Reactions

The Dart Center has joined a government agency and two non-profit groups in supporting a new campaign to inform the public about emotional injury and its chronic form, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) through televised public-service announcements.

Three PSAs inform viewers about the signs of PTSD and offer a website with information about traumatic injury. The website then links to the Dart Center site and those of our associates in this initiative.

New York City television stations have begun airing the PSAs. The following press release announces the public-information campaign.

A new campaign will inform Americans about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – a chronic and painful form of emotional injury – through television public-service announcements, four sponsoring organizations have announced.

In the weeks leading up to the Sept. 11 anniversary, TV and cable outlets will be offered four 30-second PSAs calling attention to the signs and symptoms of PTSD and directing viewers to a newly launched website – www.ptsdinfo.org – that offers medically accurate information about traumatic injury and links to agencies and organizations with information about coping with emotional injury.

The PSAs respond to the emotional pain many Americans will suffer in coming weeks as they see frequent televised reminders of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Trauma experts predict significant increases in PTSD reactions from television and other media reporting about the anniversary.

The PSAs say that more than 10 million Americans suffer from PTSD and tell viewers that anxiety, fear, withdrawal, guilt and hopelessness may be signs of the disorder. One PSA says that a witness or victim “may relive traumatic events vividly for months or even years.” The theme of the announcements is that recovery after PTSD begins with accurate information about emotional injury.

The Dart Foundation of Mason, MI, funded the PSA campaign. Participating agencies and organizations include the National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD), which carries out research and education through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC), which raises awareness of needs of crime victims; Gift from Within (GFW), which provides support to PTSD victims, and the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, a resource for journalists who cover traumatic events.


Download the PSAs: (right-click and select “save target as”)

PTSD is Real (1)
PTSD is Real (2)
Signs of PTSD
Ten Million