PTSD in the News: Weekly Roundup

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An interesting week here as I wrap up outlining some terrific plans for September including a guest post by a celebrity mental health advocate, a special program for the week of September 14 – 20 (National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week), bookings for the launch of the Heal My PTSD radio series, and finally: the first Heal My PTSD contest. Fun stuff!

Also, after yesterday’s missed interview, today at 12:30pm EST Maureen Phillips and I will (definitely!) connect for a full radio show. To hear this incredible story about how one woman healed her PTSD click here. If you’d like to join the interview with questions you can call 347-637-1847.

And now, for the news, which is full of topics covering everything from the success of exposure therapy, to NICU parents and PTSD, to the VA’s new quest to lessen the difficulties in diagnosing vets with PTSD as well as the PTSD effect of deployment on children. Dive in!

Topics for Everyone

ELLE Takes on New PTSD Therapy – A small survey of 127 women who underwent prolonged exposure therapy showed that, at an average of six years post-treatment, 80% had none of the symptoms of PTSD.

Brief Counseling Does Not Prevent Later Onset of PTSD – The results suggest that none of these psychological interventions can be recommended for routine use following traumatic events and that multiple session interventions, like single session interventions, may have an adverse effect on some individuals. 

Book Review: Conquering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder -  Conquering PTSD comprises an organic program of practical self-help techniques that the individual can practice on her own to build her confidence, extend her social world, free herself from the past, and start living life again.

Dopamine Lets Bad Experiences Linger – “If you could get to somebody soon after the traumatic experience, you might be able to interfere with this consolidation process and reduce the risk of PTSD,” said Marshall.

PTSD Among Survivors Of Sexual Abuse – Almost half of all female survivors experience PTSD.

PTSD on TV in ‘True Blood’ – Terry Bellefleur is an excellent example of a supporting character’s experiences enriching the world of True Blood. In the show, he is an Iraqi war veteran who has come home from the war with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Breaking Human Beings (Scientifically) – Now the Army has begun a traumatic shock and stress-related treatment program for all servicemen, based on Seligman’s treatment for “learned helplessness,” which basically amounts to a system for teaching auto-suggestion to the troops. It is teaching the opposite of helplessness, teaching the troops and their families to unlearn human nature and the exhaustion brought-on by the siege. (What do we think of this as a treatment method for anyone with PTSD???)

 Art Saves Woman with Mental Illness – It is her art that is keeping her in the world.

New Journal Proves Multiple Aspects for Understanding and Healing – “Recovering the Self” is more than just a journal. It’s only 87 pages long, but these double-columned pages feel like a full-fledged anthology of diverse voices covering multiple aspects of healing, recovery, and human experience divided into departments of non-fiction essays, book reviews, fiction, poetry, and interviews.

For Parents on NICU, Trauma May Last – Several studies have shown that the risk of P.T.S.D. was not related to how tiny or sick the child was or how long the stay in the NICU. “It had to do with the parents’ coping style,” Dr. Shaw said. “There were some who were more resilient and others more vulnerable.”

Local Terrorism Survivor Brings Solace To Other Survivors - One Heart Global runs a monthly survivors meeting in New York City, called Survivors Circle, where they have guest speakers and activities for anyone who was injured or lost family members in attacks in Israel.

Release of Pan Am 103 Bomber May Exacerbate PTSD – The truth is, lawmakers, and politicians have reversed the trauma-narrative for the relatives of the victims, where closure had already been established. This might very well have unhinged the crucial component of trauma recovery.

Dartmouth’s Student PTSD Support Network Expands - Dartheart, a non-profit organization founded in the winter of 2008 as a peer support network for Dartmouth students recovering from post traumatic stress disorder, will expand nationwide this fall with chapters at Columbia University, Brown University, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Premature Births Bring Parents Traumatic Stress -  Post-traumatic stress disorder is generally associated with war veterans or crime victims, but the disorder is increasingly evident in parents of children who are born prematurely, experts say.

Topics for Combat PTSD

Overcoming Adversity – Wounded warrior heals PTSD.

VA Simplifies Compensation for PTSD -  VA is publishing a proposed regulation today in the Federal Register to make it easier for a veteran to claim service connection for PTSD by reducing the evidence needed if the stressor claimed is related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity.

Florida Coalition Reaching out to Homeless Vets – most recent mission survey found one in three male respondents claiming veteran status, and Fox described the area’s homeless veterans as often having post traumatic stress disorder and being increasingly younger.

Advice for Returning Veterans – Not Alone connects veterans to others who share experiences. The site also offers supportive tools for family members, spouses and friends of returning veterans.

Veterans Travel to the Past – Almost 25 years after the end of the Vietnam War, some Santa Clarita Valley veterans are hoping to return to the battlefields in order to replace bad memories with positive images of present-day Vietnam.

Stress-Busting Acupuncture for Vets -  The program is a weekly, hour-long clinic in which the ancient art of acupuncture is used to relieve symptoms of stress and trauma.

Veterans Forsake Studies of Stress – A strong stigma in the military associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is blamed for the reluctance of combat veterans to take part in a pair of treatment programs being evaluated by staff from the Veterans Administration in Boston at facilities in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.

Soldiers’ Children Are War Victims, Too -  Gabriella (8 years old) took her father’s deployment the hardest. Already an anxious child, her stress level “really went off the charts” after her dad left for Afghanistan, said mother Fabiola Lane.

Wives Set Up Helpline for Traumatised Soldiers in UK – PTSDWorldwide: All of the volunteers involved in the helpline, PTSD Worldwide, have suffered combat stress after serving in a variety of conflicts from the Falklands to Afghanistan. Alongside the main facility will be a secondary helpline aimed at families and run by wives of veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Local War Vet Hosts Horse Therapy Clinic for Soldiers with PTSD -  29-year-old Jeremy Randall spends much of his time with his horses, learning how to refocus his mind, while forgetting the haunting moments from his tour in Iraq.

(Photo: karenhdy)

Tags: army, combat ptsd, conquering, dopamine, heal, mental illness, post traumatic stress disorder, ptsd, PTSD in the News, recovering the self, survivors studies, trauma, vet, veterans