A 66-year-old woman was working on the 80th floor of the World Trade Center when the building was hit on Sept. 11, 2001, a clinical case report noted. Despite calming messages over the intercom, she sensed she was in danger and began running down the stairs.
She became exhausted around the 40th floor, but two men helped her reach the basement. She escaped just before the tower collapsed. In the years that followed, she developed severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including flashbacks, depression, emotional numbness, and avoidance of triggers.