Archive for the ‘PTSD’ Category

Supporting Veterans and Families in Conquering PTSD

As the echoes of war fade, a different kind of battle wages on for many courageous veterans who return home. An estimated 6% of US adults, or 6 out every 100 people, will be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), at some point in their lifetime. In veterans, it increases to 7 out of...

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) – Now Approved for OCD

The last few months have seen major advancements of TMS in the treatment of psychiatric illness. In August TMS was approved by the FDA for the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, a third indication after depression in 2008 and migraine with aura in 2013 (this approval was broadened in...

Treatment Recommendations for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Lessons from Neuroimaging

This paper reviews current treatment recommendations for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We focus in particular on therapeutic interventions and how neuroimaging studies have informed treatment options. PTSD can develop after exposure to potentially traumatic events such as assault,...

The NYSPA Report: PTSD and It’s Co-Morbidities

Posttraumatic Stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault. The following data shows the gravity of the problem posed due to PTSD. The National...

Why Trauma Informed Care with Vulnerable Populations?

A vulnerable population can be described as a group of persons whose range of options is severely limited, who are frequently subjected to coercion in decision making, or who may be compromised in their ability to give informed consent (U.S. National Library of Medicine). There are many populations...

PTSD Among Veterans: A Signature Wound that Desperately Needs Healing

Veterans returning to civilian life from Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from tragically high rates of mental and substance use disorders. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has become a hallmark injury among returning veterans, with a prevalence rate of approximately 20 percent—a rate two...

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Person Within

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is not an inherent weakness in facing difficulty, nor is it a flaw in an individual’s personality, belief system, or values. The development and intensity of PTSD symptoms is concordant with the intensity and duration of the stressful event encountered. The...

Online Toolkit Aims to Support Mental Health Providers Serving Veterans in the Community

The Department of Veterans Affairs has developed a new online Community Provider Toolkit (www.mentalhealth.va.gov/communityproviders) aimed at delivering support, therapeutic tools, and resources to community providers treating Veterans for mental health concerns. “Many Veterans seek mental...

Looking Beyond PTSD: Are We Ready for Our Returning Heroes?

With an estimated 30,000 troops expected home from Afghanistan next month, the question that must be asked is: “Is the United States ready to accept these veterans back into society? Is it ready to help them reacclimate, re-socialize, and reintegrate?” The answer is not a simple yes or no. To...

Integrative Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders in Service Members, Veterans, and Military Families in a Civilian Inpatient Setting

Since September 11th, 2001, over two million United States service members have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Multiple factors related to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Global War on Terror (e.g., multiple deployments, length of deployments, intensity and nature of combat...