PTSD in the News: Weekly Update

Do you think sexual assualt should count as a ‘pre-existing condition’ when it comes to insurance? Did you know that the prefrontal cortex might be the key to preventing PTSD? Did you know the Atkins diet might be a great way to reduce the body’s experience of stress? Have you considered the positive effects of combat stress?

All these topics and many more interesting news bytes covered in this week’s roundup of civilian and military PTSD news stories….

Topics for Everyone

For Insurance Companies, Sexual Assault Is A Pre-existing Condition -  Several women told the Investigative Fund that after being sexually assaulted they had been denied care or ruled ineligible for health insurance because of what were deemed pre-existing conditions stemming from their assaults — particularly post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Regulating Emotion After Experiencing Sexual Assault -  After exposure to extreme life stresses, what distinguishes the individuals who do and do not develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? A new study suggests that it has something to do with the way that we control the activity of the prefrontal cortex.

Emory To Use Stimulus Buck for Research -  Emory will use a $346,000 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study biomarkers in primates that could serve as diagnostic tools for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Glenn Close Talks about the Stigma of Mental Illness – I have no illusions that BringChange2Mind.org is a cure for mental illness. Yet I am sure it will help us along the road to understanding and constructive dialogue. It will help deconstruct and eliminate stigma.

American Diet vs. Atkins Diet – which is better for handling Stress? -  The behavioral testing revealed for the first time that high and low carb diets differentially affected the expression of anxiety-related behaviors. Rats fed the high carb diet exhibited stronger evidence of fear memories in response to a frightening experience. Rats fed the low carb diet had the opposite effect – they appeared less fearful on tests of memory and anxiety than the rats fed the American diet.

PTSD linked to Post-Surgery Death – One year after surgery, 8.5 percent of the patients with PTSD had died, compared with 6.8 percent of patients who did not have the psychiatric disorder, representing a 25 percent increased risk for those with PTSD.

Healing After the Disaster Typhoons - Debriefing is not counseling. Its goal is to help the victim get past the trauma experience and reenter society in his/her pretrauma incidence state, helping avoid a dysfunctional state or what is referred to as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

Topics for Combat Stress

Combat’s Positive Effects Examined -  Research appears to show that many people can emerge from traumatic experiences with greater self-confidence, a keener sense of compassion and appreciation for life, says Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, director of the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program. Cornum and other experts call this concept post-traumatic growth.

Veterans Find Healing On the Water – The weeklong fly fishing program is one of eight sports and recreation camps held each year in this central Idaho resort region for wounded service members. This fall, the fly fishing camp was designed for veterans with severe traumatic brain injury.

Rule Change Could Ease Veteran Comp Claims – The proposed rule states that those clinically diagnosed with PTSD would only have to prove the stressor is related to their “fear of hostile military or terrorist activity.”

Senators Seek Review of Military’s Personality-Disorder Discharge -  Because the military views personality disorders as a pre-existing condition, many service members returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health problems have been unable to receive health benefits. There have been questions, however, about how scrupulous the military has been in making sure that the personality disorder discharges were proper.

Education Key to PTSD Stigma -  ”I asked her – ‘what is the biggest problem?’” he said. “She replied, ‘stigma’. Stigma is the major impediment that Soldiers face in getting help. The psychologist also told him she didn’t believe the commanders cared a great deal about PTSD.

(Photo: jk5854)

Tags: Atkin's diet, combat stress, disaster, education, emory university, Glenn Close, healing, mental illness, prefrontal cortex, ptsd, PTSD in the News, regulating emotion, research, stigma, typhoon, veterans