PTSD
It’s a war within yourself that never goes away - Ben Selkow
image by: RODNAE Productions
HWN Suggests
Veterans’ PTSD and brain injury deserve focused research on new treatments
Suppose that a million or more members of the US Armed Forces and veterans were suffering from an epidemic that could not be prevented, treated or cured — and 20 of them were dying from it every day. Would we address it as a national emergency, mobilizing resources, coordinating research, and insisting on answers?
They are — but we aren’t. It’s time for that to change.
Nearly 350,000 service member and veterans have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) since 2001. Even more have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Twenty veterans commit suicide every day, most of them as a direct result of these conditions.
PTSD, TBI, and suicide represent an all-out…
Featured
Restoring Veterans' Health Through Virtual Reality
Years ago, this was something that couldn’t have been imagined, but the same gear associated with video gaming and entertainment is indeed helping veterans with pain management, physical rehabilitation and the cognitive disorders associated with PTSD.
Using Horsepower to Fight PTSD and Veteran Suicide
As many as 30% of American veterans deal with some form of PTSD, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and some 22 veterans a day take their lives. Ms. Hill-McQueeney is fiercely committed to stemming the tide of veteran suicide. Experience has taught her that the key to the therapeutic process is keeping the focus on the horses—having the veterans direct their attention to making sure the horse is comfortable.
Articles of Interest
A New Documentary Shows How Vets Are Using Weed and Ayahuasca to Treat PTSD
Approximately 20 vets take their own lives every day. Could using ayahuasca and weed to treat mental illness improve that statistic?
A Veteran Wonders: How Will My PTSD Affect My Kids?
The trauma of war can harm the children of soldiers once they’re home—but it doesn’t have to.
Debunking Stereotypes Around Veterans and PTSD
Readers tell us about the stereotypes they have encountered around veterans and post-traumatic stress disorder, and the ways in which they have challenged them.
For Soldiers With PTSD, A Profound Daily Struggle
The sleeplessness, anger, anxiety and sense of isolation that can accompany the disorder pose tremendous challenges for veterans and their families, and there's an enduring stigma around mental health care that still discourages many from seeking help.
How Common is PTSD in Veterans?
When you are in the military, you may see combat. You may have been on missions that exposed you to horrible and life-threatening experiences. These types of events can lead to PTSD.
Scuba, Parrots, Yoga: Veterans Embrace Alternative Therapies for PTSD
Traditional medical approaches generally rely on drugs and controlled re-experiencing of trauma, called exposure therapy. But this combination has proved so unpopular that many veterans quit before finishing or avoid it altogether. This has given rise to hundreds of small nonprofits across the country that offer alternatives: therapeutic fishing, rafting and backpacking trips, horse riding, combat yoga, dogs, art collectives, dolphin swims, sweat lodge vision quests and parrot husbandry centers, among many, many others.
The U.S. Army's Ambitious Fight Against PTSD
With a decade of war winding down, post-traumatic stress disorder is an increasingly urgent problem. Will the Army's efforts work?
Trauma Post Trauma
The “gold standard” treatment for PTSD makes many vets’ symptoms even worse.
Vets Seek Help for PTSD Decades After War
Most veterans don’t get PTSD. Experts say those spared often have better coping skills or a stronger support system. Rank doesn’t matter. The disorder affects former captains, privates and cooks.
War Is Hell, and the Hell Rubs Off
PTSD contributes to violence. Pretending it doesn’t is no way to support the troops.
Why Aren't American Veterans Allowed to Treat Their PTSD with Medical Marijuana?
Could marijuana be the solution America's vets have been waiting for, and if so, why does the federal government continue to stand in the way?
Resources
4 powerful facts about PTSD from war correspondent Sebastian Junger
Through his experience embedded with US military service members in Afghanistan, war correspondent Sebastian Junger discovered that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can develop and take hold of a life as much at home as it does on the battlefield.
9 myths about PTSD
The perception of the disorder has historically been centered on soldiers, but anyone can develop PTSD. Combat, child abuse, a physical assault, or a car crash can cause PTSD to develop.
Buried Above Ground
BURIED ABOVE GROUND documents the inspirational stories of three Americans living with and battling the burdens of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Cohen Veterans Bioscience
A national nonprofit 501(c)(3) research organization dedicated to fast-tracking diagnostic tests & personalized therapeutics for the millions of veterans & civilians who suffer the devastating effects of trauma-related and other brain disorders.
National Center for PTSD
We are the world's leading research and educational center of excellence on PTSD and traumatic stress.
