People can survive things they didn't think they could, but more than 500,000 people in the New York metropolitan area may have developed post-traumatic stress disorder, as a direct result of the September attacks. According to the shrinks,

PTSD is a debilitating and lingering syndrome, and common among the survivors of rape or sexual abuse, violent attack and combat. Its symptoms include living in dual states of emotional numbing and hyper-arousal. Sufferers may experience intrusive memories and feel the sense of "dissociation," or being outside their bodies. They may be panicky, sweaty, quick to anger. They may be less than fully functional for years, and are more likely to succumb to a host of other ailments, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.