The public costs of mental health response: lessons from the New York City post-9/11 needs assessment.

There is evidence of increased rates of psychiatric disorder in New York City in the period following September 11th. Public mental health services need to develop plans to respond to these higher rates of disorder. This article describes what we know and do not know with respect to the costs of such response. We examine evidence on the demand for mental health services, the nature of services to be provided, the characteristics of providers, and the likely sources of payment for care in the context of the attacks of September 11th in New York City.