PTSD in the News: Weekly Roundup

So, we’re winding down our coverage in support of Invisible Illness Awareness Week, which included:

• A special ‘Survivors Speak’ post about a military mom with 2 PTSD kids — and how she found the right therapist for herself.
• A great interview with Bob Stahn about how Imagery Rescripting and Reprocessing helps relieve PTSD symptoms? Check it out here.
• My list of 10 things you need to know about PTSD healing.
• The wife of an Army vet and her take on living with Combat PTSD.

For our final Invisible Illness Awareness highlight post we have a special guest: Victoria Beckner, co-author of Conquering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder will be giving us a dose of her insight and PTSD healing wisdom.

In the media spotlight this week, lots of yoga/PTSD news, plus: the ADD/PTSD link, the Red Sox/Mass General fight against Combat PTSD, and how golf gets vets back in the game.

Topics for Everyone

ADD & PTSD Link in New BU Study -  Returning soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder can remain stuck in a “constant combat” mentality even a year after being inactive from duty. This mentality comes from the disorder’s negative effects on a soldier’s attention.

Yoga Helps Relieve Anxiety and Depression - By reducing perceived stress and anxiety, yoga appears to modulate stress response systems. This, in turn, decreases physiological arousal.

More Yoga Classes Geared Toward Specific Groups (scroll down) - Yoga is especially helpful for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because it helps calm their anxiety, Punko said, and is now being done on some military bases in Iraq.

New campaign promotes need for Foster Parents - Large campaign posters showing a close-up image of a boy in foster care were also on display. The text on one poster read: “I have twice the rate of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder than vets of the first Gulf War.” 

Topics for Combat PTSD

Boston Red Sox & Mass General Fight PTSD - The Boston Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital will announce today the launch of a $6 million program to treat the rising number of men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries and to encourage reluctant veterans to seek services.

Eden High Grad Entrusted with Military Wellbeing -  Wojtaszczyk is approaching his ex-wife’s struggles with the same philosophy with which he approaches military matters. “Where other people see problems,” he said, “I see opportunity.”

A Place To Heal - He bought 32 acres of land at $2,900 per acre five miles east of Washington, Ia., and in a revelatory, nearly tragic moment one day decided to forsake a comfortable military retirement, hunting and fishing on this new playground, and dedicate it to his wounded fellow veterans to use for free.

Army Ups Combat Stress Coping Training -  Basic training for U.S. Army soldiers is being changed to include a much greater emphasis on mental health and resiliency under combat stress, officials say.

Mullen: Treating PTSD Needs Sustained Effort - Mullen said he is committed to avoiding a repeat of what happened after the Vietnam War, with its lost generation of homeless veterans.

Expect High Rates of PTSD Among Iraq Vets - As many as 35 percent of returning soldiers could have PTSD.

Golf Helps Vets Get Back in Game -  With its laid-back nature but high level of mental and physical concentration, golf has become a popular rehab method for wounded veterans, specifically in the downcounty area with its proximity to Walter Reed.

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Tags: add, anxiety, bob stahn, combat ptsd, depression, gulf war, healing, imagery re, ptsd, vet, victoria beckner, yoga