Man reportedly barricades himself with guns; standoff ends without arrest
[UPDATED]
Fergus Falls
Saturday, July 19, 2014
A man reportedly barricaded himself inside a rural Ottertail garage with guns Friday night, and after a standoff, police determined there was no threat at the home.
The Otter Tail County Sheriffs Office temporarily set a perimeter around the house, according to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office.
Officers arrived at the home on Long Lake Road just before 9 p.m. after receiving a call from a woman that a family member had locked himself in the garage. She said he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and that there were guns in the garage.
read more here
Showing posts with label PTSD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PTSD. Show all posts
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
VA Priority Access Vortex
Recent headline
Why?
Recent headline
Why?
Reported by Reuters in 2008
They knew but didn't care enough to fix it.
UPDATE
How many more years of their ranting are we willing to take? They didn't fix it before and have not taken responsibility for their failures. Nothing will change unless they actually start to value the veterans they want votes from in an election year.
On May 15, 2014, VHA had over 6 million appointments scheduled across the system. Nationwide, there are roughly 57,436 Veterans who are waiting to be scheduled for care and another 63,869 who over the past ten years have enrolled in our healthcare system and have not been seen for an appointment. VA is moving aggressively to contact these Veterans through the Accelerating Access to Care Initiative.
Why?
The number of veterans using VA’s health care system has risen dramatically in recent years, increasing from 2.9 million in 1995 to 5 million in 2003. Unable to completely absorb this increase, VA began 2003 with more than 280,000 veterans on waiting lists to receive medical care. In addition, a new regulation giving priority access for severely disabled veterans was implemented for those veterans with service-connected disabilities rated 50 percent or greater. This new priority includes hospitalization and outpatient care for both service-connected and nonservice-connected treatment. In 2004, VA will provide priority access to other veterans for their service-connected conditions.
Recent headline
According to 2012 VA statistics, one in five female veterans and one in 100 male veterans reported some type of sexual abuse while in the military. From fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2013, veterans filed more than 29,000 claims for disabilities related to military sexual trauma, with most attributing post-traumatic stress disorder to the abuse.
Under VA rules, military sexual trauma by itself is not grounds for a disability claim. But veterans can receive compensation for “physical or mental health disabilities caused or aggravated” by sex assaults.
Why?
Reported by Reuters in 2008
Nearly 15 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking medical care from the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department have suffered sexual trauma, from harassment to rape, researchers reported on Tuesday.
And these veterans were 1.5 times as likely as other veterans to need mental health services, the report from the VA found.
"We are, in fact, detecting men and women who seem to have a significant need for mental health services," said Rachel Kimerling of the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in California.
The study, presented at a meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Diego, raises many questions.
Kimerling said in a telephone interview the term "military sexual trauma" covers a range of events from coerced sex to outright rape or threatening and unwelcome sexual advances.
A spokeswoman for the VA said about 40 percent of all discharged veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have sought medical care of some sort from the VA, which has a universal screening program for military sexual trauma.
They knew but didn't care enough to fix it.
UPDATE
How many more years of their ranting are we willing to take? They didn't fix it before and have not taken responsibility for their failures. Nothing will change unless they actually start to value the veterans they want votes from in an election year.
Congress moving to ensure speedier care for veterans
The Associated Press
By MATTHEW DALY and ALAN FRAM
Published: June 10, 2014
WASHINGTON — United in response to a national uproar, Congress is suddenly moving quickly to address military veterans' long waits for care at VA hospitals.
The House unanimously approved legislation Tuesday to make it easier for patients enduring lengthy delays for initial visits to get VA-paid treatment from local doctors instead. The Senate was poised to vote on a similar bill within 48 hours, said Democratic leader Harry Reid.
The legislation comes close on the heels of a Veterans Affairs Department audit showing that more than 57,000 new applicants for care have had to wait at least three months for initial appointments and an additional 64,000 newly enrolled vets who requested appointments never got them.
"I cannot state it strongly enough - this is a national disgrace," said Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chief author of the House legislation.
read more here
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Helping Children Cope with Secondary PTSD
Guest Post
Helping Children Cope with Secondary PTSD
It has been long recognized that family members of combat veterans who develop PTSD may also display the characteristics of the disorder. This has been referred to as vicarious PTSD or secondary PTSD. For children who look to adults for support and care as well as help making sense of what is often already a confusing world, adjusting to the stresses associated with having a parent in the military – in particular one who exhibits PTSD symptoms – is especially difficult to cope with.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children in military families are frequently exposed to a variety of stressors which they have labeled “toxic.” The National Center for Child Traumatic Stress points out that the children of enlisted parents have to cope with unpredictable deployment and issues related to reintegration when the parent returns home. When the parent is career military, this process repeats itself, leading to uncertainty for the child as well as the remaining parent. As this parent can’t provide the ability to better predict when the other parent may be leaving or returning, the child has no foundation to rely upon and may become confused and fearful.
Additionally, the remaining parent is often overwhelmed by the increased responsibility they are required to shoulder or by having to act as a single parent on little to no notice. This can cause the remaining parent to become less accessible to the child as they struggle with the increased burden. The fear of losing the parent due to their repeat absence or to death, decreased attention from the remaining parent, and frequent moves and loss of friends can lead to a sense of abandonment in the child, a sense that they have no one to turn to for answers, and feelings of isolation from other children.
While children are normally excited to have a parent return home after a deployment, this excitement can turn to dismay and distress when this parent is suffering from acute stress or PTSD. When already at increased vulnerability due to the other stressors they’ve encountered as part of a military family, it is not infrequent that these children may begin to exhibit some of the same symptoms as the parent.
How Might Combat Related PTSD Symptoms in a Parent Affect a Child?
Combat veterans suffering from PTSD often exhibit symptoms that can affect or even potentially traumatize their child. Probably the most frightening of these is when the parent re-experiences combat related situations through nightmares, during which they may scream and even enact the dream, or daytime flashbacks during which the individual perceives everything around them as if they are back in combat. This can be terrifying for the child who doesn’t understand what is happening to their parent.
People with PTSD also attempt to avoid anything that might remind them of their experiences and thus trigger a strong memory or flashback. Since almost anything can serve as a trigger – a color matching their uniform, an ad for the brand of cigarette they were smoking at the time of the trauma, the smell of aftershave they were wearing at the time of an attack – they can’t predict when they might come into contact with something that will elicit a flashback or other negative response. This means they stop going places, stop taking their family to the movies, out for pizza, shopping, or practically anywhere else. While they are only attempting to avoid coming into contact with any triggers, the child thinks the parent doesn’t want to spend time with them, eventually coming to believe there must be something wrong with them or else their parent wouldn’t reject them. Those suffering from PTSD also tend to have a high level of arousal and to be extremely irritable. They can unintentionally lash out in anger if startled or feeling anxious without recognizing it, leaving the child wondering what they have done to make their parent no longer love them. Since the child can’t predict when their parent may exhibit any of these behaviors, and over time may come to experience them as traumatic when they do occur, they may go on to develop symptoms of PTSD in reaction to the way they experience their parent’s PTSD.
What Can Parents Do to Help Their Children if they are Display Symptoms of Secondary PTSD?
If you or your partner are experiencing the symptoms of PTSD, the first step is to get treatment so you are able to control your symptoms in front of your child and overtime get rid of them. It’s important for parents to work together to help their child learn to deal with stress and understand the nature of why their parent may display confusing behaviors.
Remember that your child may already be vulnerable to the effects of stress in their life, especially stress related to having a parent in the military. When they see either parent displaying signs of excessive anxiety or stress they will quickly react with an escalation of anxiety in response. Make sure you show your child ways you use to manage your stress levels, even explaining how you are coping with your anxiety to reduce it. This will help them understand there are ways to handle their own stress and they will attempt to imitate you, coming to learn effective coping strategies.
Parents can also show children other ways of working through fears and anxiety, such as talking about them in a way that leads to expectations of a positive result. A lot of the escalation of anxiety that occurs in children and their parents is the result of expectations of negative outcomes. Often we get what we expect, such that if we talk about ways that can lead to positive results we can alter our experiences from being predominantly negative to being predominantly positive.
Parents should also commit to specific blocks of time that will be family time— when the whole family spends time doing fun things together. When children feel like parents are making plans that focus on the things they enjoy doing, they will feel truly cared about and important in their parents’ eyes. This will also strengthen the parent-child bond with each parent as well as increase the bond between parents, which is also important in making children feel safe and able to count on their parents for their needs.
The most important thing however, is to make sure you seek treatment for your child if the symptoms seem to be extreme, are worsening instead of improving, or your child simply does not appear to be responding to some of these basic family based strategies. Regardless of whether you feel your child needs profession help or not, these tactics will still serve to strengthen the connections between family members and increase the level of trust individuals feel in relation to each other.
Written by a Certified Trauma Therapist from A Healing Place, a leading treatment center near Ocala, FL for PTSD and issues caused by trauma.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Military retracts Guantánamo PTSD claim
Military retracts Guantánamo PTSD claim
Miami Herald
BY CAROL ROSENBERG
December 8, 2013
The U.S. military is retracting a claim made to “60 Minutes” that Guantánamo guards suffer nearly twice as much Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as combat troops.
“There are no statistics that support the claim of twice the number of troops diagnosed with PTSD,” said Army Col. Greg Julian of the U. S. Southern Command in response to a query from the Miami Herald.
Southcom has oversight of the 12-year-old detention center, including the consequences of duty there on the thousands of troops that have guarded the Guantánamo prisoners. At its height, the prison held about 660 men at the sprawling detention center complex. Now, a staff of about 2,100 troops and contractors holds 162 captives, 82 of them cleared for release.
Army Col. John V. Bogdan, the current commander of the guard force, offered up the surprising Cuba-to-battlefield ratio of PTSD in a September interview with CBS correspondent Lesley Stahl. It aired Nov. 17, without verification, and was echoed in a BBC broadcast Nov. 20 by the female Army captain in charge of Guantanamo’s maximum-security prison, Camp 5, where, she said, a captive on most days hurls at a guard a home-made brew that can include excrement, blood, semen and urine.
She told the BBC her guards suffer PTSD as a consequence of “that constant threat of being in enemy contact for up to 12 hours at a time,” and said the prison’s Public Affairs Officer or guard’s mental-health unit could provide precise statistics.
But, after weeks of research from the island prison to the Pentagon, Julian, Southcom’s Public Affairs Officer said late Friday: “Col. Bogdan was mistaken about twice the level of PTSD.”
read more here
Miami Herald
BY CAROL ROSENBERG
December 8, 2013
The U.S. military is retracting a claim made to “60 Minutes” that Guantánamo guards suffer nearly twice as much Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as combat troops.
“There are no statistics that support the claim of twice the number of troops diagnosed with PTSD,” said Army Col. Greg Julian of the U. S. Southern Command in response to a query from the Miami Herald.
Southcom has oversight of the 12-year-old detention center, including the consequences of duty there on the thousands of troops that have guarded the Guantánamo prisoners. At its height, the prison held about 660 men at the sprawling detention center complex. Now, a staff of about 2,100 troops and contractors holds 162 captives, 82 of them cleared for release.
Army Col. John V. Bogdan, the current commander of the guard force, offered up the surprising Cuba-to-battlefield ratio of PTSD in a September interview with CBS correspondent Lesley Stahl. It aired Nov. 17, without verification, and was echoed in a BBC broadcast Nov. 20 by the female Army captain in charge of Guantanamo’s maximum-security prison, Camp 5, where, she said, a captive on most days hurls at a guard a home-made brew that can include excrement, blood, semen and urine.
She told the BBC her guards suffer PTSD as a consequence of “that constant threat of being in enemy contact for up to 12 hours at a time,” and said the prison’s Public Affairs Officer or guard’s mental-health unit could provide precise statistics.
But, after weeks of research from the island prison to the Pentagon, Julian, Southcom’s Public Affairs Officer said late Friday: “Col. Bogdan was mistaken about twice the level of PTSD.”
read more here
Friday, November 8, 2013
Veterans Day take the time to witness something amazing
Veterans Day take the time to witness something amazing
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
November 8, 2013
There is so much going on that keeps getting missed twice a year. On Memorial Day the fallen are honored and remembered all across the country by those not too busy shopping. On Veterans Day those who served are honored by those willing to take the time to show up. What keeps getting missed is how they treat each other.
There is a really good post up on Lufkin Daily News that you should read about Gary Stallard coming aware of what being a combat veteran is all about. They do it so we don’t have to.
This is part of what he wrote.
Veterans are only 7% of the population. Many think there is no way civilians can understand any of them but that is not true. While civilians cannot know what it is like for them, they can try to and they should. Settling for excuses serves no one who serves.
Stallard wrote about a Vietnam veteran he knows at the VA.
The truth is everything this newer generation is receiving from the government and the public is because of them. They fought for all of it. What many do not understand is they fought us after fighting for us.
We gave up on Vietnam veterans before they even got back home. When they came home they found it almost impossible to find jobs and even harder to get anyone to honor their service. They didn't give up on us.
No matter how poorly we treated them they had faith that if we knew what was happening to them, we'd do something about it. We did. We learned and we changed.
By the time I met my husband he had been out of the Army for ten years. I don't know what it is like to worry about a husband deployed into combat but I can understand it simply because I spend time with families and surrounded by veterans on a regular basis.
The families of military folks don't know what it is like to live with PTSD in the home for over 30 years but they can if they try to. I've done what I can to help them understand that PTSD doesn't mean the end of anything but a new kind of normal we can all thrive with if we understand it.
We are a tiny percentage of the population but if you know anyone going to a psychologist, thank a Vietnam veteran. Crisis Intervention Teams showing up after a traumatic event? Thank a Vietnam Veteran. Trauma units at hospitals? Thank a Vietnam veteran. The list goes on for what they accomplished because they didn't give up on us.
The greatest lesson they taught all of us is that their service was simply amazing. It really didn't matter what was behind them having to serve in Vietnam because that was not what war means to those we send. They matter to each other. They are not willing to die for any other reason than that.
We can talk all we want about how they did it for the country and toss in all the patriotic terms we can think of but the core reason went beyond patriotic and into heroic. That kind of love blended with courage has been on display for over 50 years.
This Veterans Day take the time to witness something amazing. Go to the events in your area and watch them. See how they react to each other and then you'll know what sets them apart from the rest of us. We can never make up for what Vietnam veterans had to go through to get us to where we are other than making sure they get what they need and are not forgotten among the newer veterans benefiting from the price they paid to achieve it.
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
November 8, 2013
There is so much going on that keeps getting missed twice a year. On Memorial Day the fallen are honored and remembered all across the country by those not too busy shopping. On Veterans Day those who served are honored by those willing to take the time to show up. What keeps getting missed is how they treat each other.
There is a really good post up on Lufkin Daily News that you should read about Gary Stallard coming aware of what being a combat veteran is all about. They do it so we don’t have to.
This is part of what he wrote.
"They did what they did, and suffered what they suffered, so the rest of us don’t have to. That’s it. That’s what sacrifice means: Giving up one’s self for another."
Veterans are only 7% of the population. Many think there is no way civilians can understand any of them but that is not true. While civilians cannot know what it is like for them, they can try to and they should. Settling for excuses serves no one who serves.
Stallard wrote about a Vietnam veteran he knows at the VA.
"I know a Vietnam veteran who wonders, when he sees today’s support of our military and vets, why he didn’t have that when he came home. He didn’t march in any “Welcome Home” parade; in fact, the reactions toward those returning from that war included spitting and outright revile. Those soldiers, too, were serving proudly, only his was an unpopular war — a term reeking of redundancy. He isn’t bitter, and he certainly doesn’t begrudge the current group of warriors their love and respect. He just doesn’t understand why he and his buddies didn’t receive the same."
The truth is everything this newer generation is receiving from the government and the public is because of them. They fought for all of it. What many do not understand is they fought us after fighting for us.
We gave up on Vietnam veterans before they even got back home. When they came home they found it almost impossible to find jobs and even harder to get anyone to honor their service. They didn't give up on us.
No matter how poorly we treated them they had faith that if we knew what was happening to them, we'd do something about it. We did. We learned and we changed.
By the time I met my husband he had been out of the Army for ten years. I don't know what it is like to worry about a husband deployed into combat but I can understand it simply because I spend time with families and surrounded by veterans on a regular basis.
The families of military folks don't know what it is like to live with PTSD in the home for over 30 years but they can if they try to. I've done what I can to help them understand that PTSD doesn't mean the end of anything but a new kind of normal we can all thrive with if we understand it.
We are a tiny percentage of the population but if you know anyone going to a psychologist, thank a Vietnam veteran. Crisis Intervention Teams showing up after a traumatic event? Thank a Vietnam Veteran. Trauma units at hospitals? Thank a Vietnam veteran. The list goes on for what they accomplished because they didn't give up on us.
The greatest lesson they taught all of us is that their service was simply amazing. It really didn't matter what was behind them having to serve in Vietnam because that was not what war means to those we send. They matter to each other. They are not willing to die for any other reason than that.
We can talk all we want about how they did it for the country and toss in all the patriotic terms we can think of but the core reason went beyond patriotic and into heroic. That kind of love blended with courage has been on display for over 50 years.
This Veterans Day take the time to witness something amazing. Go to the events in your area and watch them. See how they react to each other and then you'll know what sets them apart from the rest of us. We can never make up for what Vietnam veterans had to go through to get us to where we are other than making sure they get what they need and are not forgotten among the newer veterans benefiting from the price they paid to achieve it.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Firefighters with PTSD subject of new documentary
FoxFury Sponsors Return to the Station Video Documenting First Responder Stress
Digital Journal
Vista, CA (PRWEB)
October 16, 2013
FoxFury Lighting Solutions is proud to sponsor the Return To The Station video that deals with the controversial topics of first responder stress and rescuers needing rescuing. This video, written by Eddy Weiss and filmed by Ted Fillhart, is based on the true story of a firefighter who overcomes responder stress with some help from his friends.
The lifesaving work that first responders perform is physically demanding, emotionally draining and sometimes hazardous to their health. Staying physically and mentally healthy can be challenging. If not managed properly, responder stress can develop into serious problems like harmful addictions or PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).
"The nature of the job makes it very easy for a firefighter to turn to drugs and alcohol," said Mark Lamplugh, Founder and CEO of 1st Responder Treatment. "The film shows how hard it can be on the marriage as well. Being a responder is incredibly demanding and not everyone copes with it the same."
read more here
Digital Journal
Vista, CA (PRWEB)
October 16, 2013
FoxFury Lighting Solutions is proud to sponsor the Return To The Station video that deals with the controversial topics of first responder stress and rescuers needing rescuing. This video, written by Eddy Weiss and filmed by Ted Fillhart, is based on the true story of a firefighter who overcomes responder stress with some help from his friends.
The lifesaving work that first responders perform is physically demanding, emotionally draining and sometimes hazardous to their health. Staying physically and mentally healthy can be challenging. If not managed properly, responder stress can develop into serious problems like harmful addictions or PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).
"The nature of the job makes it very easy for a firefighter to turn to drugs and alcohol," said Mark Lamplugh, Founder and CEO of 1st Responder Treatment. "The film shows how hard it can be on the marriage as well. Being a responder is incredibly demanding and not everyone copes with it the same."
read more here
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Sheriff shares the story of PTSD
Cattaraugus County Sheriff Whitcomb shares the story of PTSD
Whitcomb makes presentation in Belmont to first responders
Wellsville Daily News
By Brian Quinn
Daily Reporter
Posted Oct 02, 2013
BELMONT
It might stay with you for a little while, but you’ll be able to return to normal on your own. It’s also possible, though, that you won’t be able to deal with it without help.
It is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and a group of around 15 law enforcement officers and first responders, mostly from Allegany County, got a sense of what it’s all about from Cattaraugus County Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb.
Whitcomb shared examples of events which could lead to problems with PTSD for military personnel, police officers and volunteer firefighters and EMTs. It can occur when someone responds to or comes across a life-threatening event.
“It’s a diagnosable disorder. It’s real. It’s in the book,” he said, referring to DSM-5 — the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Among the hypothetical situations Whitcomb put before his audience was that they are driving along when they come upon a car wreck. There is gas leaking, the engine catches fire and it’s obvious the vehicle will be engulfed. There’s also a pregnant woman trapped in the car. The person who finds the wreck tries to help the woman, but is unable to save her and has to retreat.
read more here
Whitcomb makes presentation in Belmont to first responders
Wellsville Daily News
By Brian Quinn
Daily Reporter
Posted Oct 02, 2013
BELMONT
It might stay with you for a little while, but you’ll be able to return to normal on your own. It’s also possible, though, that you won’t be able to deal with it without help.
It is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and a group of around 15 law enforcement officers and first responders, mostly from Allegany County, got a sense of what it’s all about from Cattaraugus County Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb.
Whitcomb shared examples of events which could lead to problems with PTSD for military personnel, police officers and volunteer firefighters and EMTs. It can occur when someone responds to or comes across a life-threatening event.
“It’s a diagnosable disorder. It’s real. It’s in the book,” he said, referring to DSM-5 — the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Among the hypothetical situations Whitcomb put before his audience was that they are driving along when they come upon a car wreck. There is gas leaking, the engine catches fire and it’s obvious the vehicle will be engulfed. There’s also a pregnant woman trapped in the car. The person who finds the wreck tries to help the woman, but is unable to save her and has to retreat.
read more here
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Firefighters with PTSD report lesson for veterans
Firefighters with PTSD report lesson for veterans
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
September 12, 2013
Researchers have been doing PTSD studies on rats. They have found PTSD in dogs and other animals but they still fail to see the difference between what originates automatically and what takes hold spiritually. The flight or fight response to traumatic situations is something that living things to automatically. A wildfire will cause animals to run away.
They go with their survival instinct. Most humans do the same thing.
Some humans do the opposite.
The difference comes from the spiritual part of a person. Some may try to pass this off as "it is their jobs to risk their lives" but no one seems to be looking at what "it" is that has them putting others first, choosing the jobs they do when they know that job could get them killed.
Yesterday was the 12th remembrance day of the worst events the US had experienced. It was a great example of the evil people are capable of at the same time it caused the inspirational. Most people ran away but others ran to help. If you want to pass that off as "it was their job" then try to explain what happened when average citizens stayed behind to help others escape. Try to explain what caused the police and firefighters to remain behind day after day until they had recovered as many of their brothers as possible. That was not just their jobs. It was personal to them.
If a woman is faced with a criminal coming after her, she will run. If she is faced with a criminal while her child is with her, she will fight for the sake of her child even if it costs her life to provide a chance for her child to live.
Traumatic events are traumatic events no matter what species have their lives on the line. Not all events are the same for everyone in the same group and what comes afterward depends on the situation. To limit the studies into just trying to figure out how to address the scientific response to the event limits the ability to heal naturally from them.
Everything needed to heal from events is within all of us. We learn from the events and adapt with scars. No one is ever the same after trauma because they are all life altering events but surviving them does not have to almost as dangerous as the event itself was.
When someone dies, extended family members and friends show up to offer support and share grieving. They do it because they understand what loss feels like. When a group of people grieve together, they also support together. That comes from the spirit.
Whenever you read about another study leaving out the spiritual, understand that is part of the problem in what they are looking for. They say that the spirit cannot be scientifically proven but there is evidence with what people do that proves the existence of what they want to dismiss claiming they cannot see it. It is there whenever people put others first even if it means they may die for someone else.
If you can understand what professional rescuers go thru then you are able to understand why they need so much more to heal than just taking a pill to numb them.
They need help to find what is inside of them to heal because what makes them different from the others running away also comes with what they need to recover from what they do for the sake of others. If you are able to understand this, then you are able to understand why veterans suffer as much as they do. Consider how long they put their lives on the line for the sake of others. They cannot be treated on the spot by crisis intervention teams but they can be as soon as possible. Much like the firefighters did not receive the emotional debrief at the scene, there was someone there waiting for them as soon as they got back. Think about it.
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
September 12, 2013
Researchers have been doing PTSD studies on rats. They have found PTSD in dogs and other animals but they still fail to see the difference between what originates automatically and what takes hold spiritually. The flight or fight response to traumatic situations is something that living things to automatically. A wildfire will cause animals to run away.
Yesterday was the 12th remembrance day of the worst events the US had experienced. It was a great example of the evil people are capable of at the same time it caused the inspirational. Most people ran away but others ran to help. If you want to pass that off as "it was their job" then try to explain what happened when average citizens stayed behind to help others escape. Try to explain what caused the police and firefighters to remain behind day after day until they had recovered as many of their brothers as possible. That was not just their jobs. It was personal to them.
If a woman is faced with a criminal coming after her, she will run. If she is faced with a criminal while her child is with her, she will fight for the sake of her child even if it costs her life to provide a chance for her child to live.
Traumatic events are traumatic events no matter what species have their lives on the line. Not all events are the same for everyone in the same group and what comes afterward depends on the situation. To limit the studies into just trying to figure out how to address the scientific response to the event limits the ability to heal naturally from them.
Everything needed to heal from events is within all of us. We learn from the events and adapt with scars. No one is ever the same after trauma because they are all life altering events but surviving them does not have to almost as dangerous as the event itself was.
"Studies agree that firefighters with a support system are less likely to show signs of PTSD."
When someone dies, extended family members and friends show up to offer support and share grieving. They do it because they understand what loss feels like. When a group of people grieve together, they also support together. That comes from the spirit.
Whenever you read about another study leaving out the spiritual, understand that is part of the problem in what they are looking for. They say that the spirit cannot be scientifically proven but there is evidence with what people do that proves the existence of what they want to dismiss claiming they cannot see it. It is there whenever people put others first even if it means they may die for someone else.
Va. Firefighters Seek Mental Health Help After 'Bad Call'
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, VA.
LAURA KEBEDE
CREATED: SEPTEMBER 11, 2013
Henrico County firefighters no longer 'suck it up' after a bad call and seek help in the form of '911 for 911' and participate in debriefings.
Sept. 11--It took a "bad call" -- when a 13-year-old on a bicycle was fatally struck by a car on a winding road in Sandston -- for Henrico County firefighter and EMT Troy Cummings to realize the importance of mental health services available to fire department personnel.
Cummings and several other first responders on the scene had children about that age. Amid the rush of emotions, it took him 20 minutes longer than usual to fill out the report at the hospital.
When the unit returned to the station, licensed clinical social worker Steve Bard was waiting for their debriefing. Anytime there's a death involving children on a Henrico Division of Fire call, a mental health liaison or chaplain becomes the "911 for 911," chaplain Mike Woods said.
"Initially, you don't have any emotions," Cummings said of responding to a scene. During the debriefing, "it's not about what went right or what we could've done better. We talk about us."
Formal training and public awareness on mental health within fire departments across the nation increased after the Sept. 11 attacks. A culture shift from "suck it up" to firefighters encouraging one another to tap mental health services was already happening in Henrico, but the national conversation was just beginning.
Post-traumatic stress among firefighters and other rescue workers who responded to the World Trade Center attack has increased. About 12 percent reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, in 2003 and 2004, compared with 19 percent a few years later, according to The World Trade Center Health Registry, which tracks more than 71,000 people affected, including residents and rescue workers.
Rates of PTSD among firefighters nationwide range from 7 to 37 percent in various studies. Studies agree that firefighters with a support system are less likely to show signs of PTSD.
read more here
If you can understand what professional rescuers go thru then you are able to understand why they need so much more to heal than just taking a pill to numb them.
They need help to find what is inside of them to heal because what makes them different from the others running away also comes with what they need to recover from what they do for the sake of others. If you are able to understand this, then you are able to understand why veterans suffer as much as they do. Consider how long they put their lives on the line for the sake of others. They cannot be treated on the spot by crisis intervention teams but they can be as soon as possible. Much like the firefighters did not receive the emotional debrief at the scene, there was someone there waiting for them as soon as they got back. Think about it.
Friday, September 6, 2013
USAID worker committed suicide
A Death in the Family
USAID's first known war-zone-related suicide raises troubling questions about whether America is doing enough to assist its relief workers.
Foreign Policy
BY GORDON LUBOLD
SEPTEMBER 5, 2013
On Aug. 15, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced that one of its employees had died suddenly. The agency didn't mention that Michael C. Dempsey, a senior field program officer assigned as the leader of a civilian assistance team in eastern Afghanistan, killed himself four days earlier while home on extended medical leave. However, the medical examiner in Kent County, Michigan, confirmed to Foreign Policy that Dempsey had committed suicide by hanging himself in a hotel-room shower. His death is USAID's first known suicide in a decade of work in the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. And what makes the suicide particularly striking is that it came a year and three days after Dempsey's close friend and colleague was killed in an improvised-explosive-device attack in Afghanistan.
After a decade of development and reconstruction work in two of the world's hottest war zones, USAID now has hundreds of Foreign Service officers who are potentially at risk for post-traumatic mental-health issues. While an enormous amount of resources and attention has been paid to military suicides, comparatively little focus has been given to civilians' struggles. And it's a sign that it's not only members of the armed services who shoulder the emotional burdens of war.
read more here
USAID's first known war-zone-related suicide raises troubling questions about whether America is doing enough to assist its relief workers.
Foreign Policy
BY GORDON LUBOLD
SEPTEMBER 5, 2013
On Aug. 15, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced that one of its employees had died suddenly. The agency didn't mention that Michael C. Dempsey, a senior field program officer assigned as the leader of a civilian assistance team in eastern Afghanistan, killed himself four days earlier while home on extended medical leave. However, the medical examiner in Kent County, Michigan, confirmed to Foreign Policy that Dempsey had committed suicide by hanging himself in a hotel-room shower. His death is USAID's first known suicide in a decade of work in the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. And what makes the suicide particularly striking is that it came a year and three days after Dempsey's close friend and colleague was killed in an improvised-explosive-device attack in Afghanistan.
After a decade of development and reconstruction work in two of the world's hottest war zones, USAID now has hundreds of Foreign Service officers who are potentially at risk for post-traumatic mental-health issues. While an enormous amount of resources and attention has been paid to military suicides, comparatively little focus has been given to civilians' struggles. And it's a sign that it's not only members of the armed services who shoulder the emotional burdens of war.
read more here
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
You can fight against PTSD
You can fight against PTSD
De-Tour Combat PTSD
Kathie Costos
July 10, 2013
There is yet one more news story of "new PTSD research" that is not really new and misleading.
There are somethings science has gotten right on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, however they seem to be getting more wrong. Keep in mind that PTSD has been researched for over 40 years, so there has been very little that has actually been new coming out.
One of the things science got right was when they started to scan brains of PTSD survivors. These scans have shown how the mind reacts proving that PTSD is not just in your head. It has changed your mind.
This is only partly right.
De-Tour Combat PTSD
Kathie Costos
July 10, 2013
There is yet one more news story of "new PTSD research" that is not really new and misleading.
There are somethings science has gotten right on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, however they seem to be getting more wrong. Keep in mind that PTSD has been researched for over 40 years, so there has been very little that has actually been new coming out.
One of the things science got right was when they started to scan brains of PTSD survivors. These scans have shown how the mind reacts proving that PTSD is not just in your head. It has changed your mind.
This is only partly right.
According to the model, changes in two brain areas — the amygdala and the dorsal anterior cingulated cortex (dACC) — may predispose people to PTSD. Both of these regions are involved in feeling and expressing fear, and both appear to be overactive in people with PTSD, even before they develop the condition. read more here
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Another research project trying to connect PTSD and TBI
How much more money will they spend on trying to connect PTSD and TBI? The only thing they are connected to is the event itself.
50 years ago they didn't know much about what breaking your head can do. I know because it happened to me. Back then they didn't know a lot about what we now call Traumatic Brain Injury when my scull was cracked. It is one thing to have an accident (I've had many of those) and another to have it caused by the actions of someone else. I was pushed off a very high slide by another kid. I went head first onto concrete. My scull was not the only thing harmed by this. My brain was too. I do not have PTSD, which is a totally different wound to the mind. PTSD is caused by having your life in danger. One thing I know a lot about even though I have never served in the military. One is not connected to the other but they are connected to what happened.
Why are they still trying to put both together? Why are they spending so much money doing research that has already been done and did not find what they hoped to produce? They would be better off actually trying to come up with better healing for both wounds since what they have been doing has not worked.
50 years ago they didn't know much about what breaking your head can do. I know because it happened to me. Back then they didn't know a lot about what we now call Traumatic Brain Injury when my scull was cracked. It is one thing to have an accident (I've had many of those) and another to have it caused by the actions of someone else. I was pushed off a very high slide by another kid. I went head first onto concrete. My scull was not the only thing harmed by this. My brain was too. I do not have PTSD, which is a totally different wound to the mind. PTSD is caused by having your life in danger. One thing I know a lot about even though I have never served in the military. One is not connected to the other but they are connected to what happened.
Why are they still trying to put both together? Why are they spending so much money doing research that has already been done and did not find what they hoped to produce? They would be better off actually trying to come up with better healing for both wounds since what they have been doing has not worked.
Vietnam vets wanted for research study
1 hour ago
By THE HERALD
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is looking for Wisconsin Vietnam veterans for a study on the possible connections between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), and the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, is being conducted at approximately 20 research sites across the U.S., including the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at UW-Madison.
The study calls for four groups of Vietnam veterans: those with TBI, those with PTSD, those with combined TBI/PTSD and a control group that has neither TBI nor PTSD. Any participant needs to be free of significant memory problems before starting the study.
read more here
Thursday, July 4, 2013
The Ongoing Sacrifice: Exploring PTSD This Independence Day
The Ongoing Sacrifice: Exploring PTSD This Independence Day
Huffington Post
Jane Mosbacher Morris
Director of Humanitarian Action
McCain Institute for International Leadership
Posted: 07/03/2013
As a kid, I used to count down the days until the Fourth of July. The holiday meant that I got to don my favorite red, white and blue swimsuit, eat endless amounts of BBQ and spend time with my family and friends. As I've gotten older, however, I've tried to reflect less on the festivities and more on the true meaning of Independence Day and all that it represents. In anticipation of this year's holiday, my mission was to learn more about the ongoing needs of those who have made and kept America free -- our veterans.
I decided to reach out to William Roby, Board Chair of the veterans' organization USA Cares, to teach me about the challenges that post-9/11 veterans are facing, particularly with regards to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Morris: First, tell me about USA Cares. What is the mission of the organization?
Roby: USA Cares' official mission is to help bear the burdens of service by providing post-9/11 military families with financial and advocacy support in their time of need.
M: Tell me more about what that means and what that looks like on a day-to-day basis.
R: Let's say that a reservist normally makes $60,000 a year in her civilian job. If she was called to active duty after 9/11 and remained on active duty for seven years, she may only be making $30,000 a year, as a solider. That means that she has been sacrificing half of the income that she normally contributes to her family. Accordingly, her family may be in financial trouble (underwater on the mortgage, owing car loans etc.).
Or, let's take a veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Treatment may be free, but he may need to miss a couple of months of work in order to get that treatment. This often discourages a veteran from seeking treatment because he and his family cannot afford to lose those three months of salary.
This is where USA Cares comes in -- providing emergency financial assistance to veterans and their families in appreciation for their service and sacrifice. The organization relies solely on donations, meaning that it never charges fees or accepts repayment from veterans, so veterans don't have to worry about paying it back.
read more here
Huffington Post
Jane Mosbacher Morris
Director of Humanitarian Action
McCain Institute for International Leadership
Posted: 07/03/2013
As a kid, I used to count down the days until the Fourth of July. The holiday meant that I got to don my favorite red, white and blue swimsuit, eat endless amounts of BBQ and spend time with my family and friends. As I've gotten older, however, I've tried to reflect less on the festivities and more on the true meaning of Independence Day and all that it represents. In anticipation of this year's holiday, my mission was to learn more about the ongoing needs of those who have made and kept America free -- our veterans.
I decided to reach out to William Roby, Board Chair of the veterans' organization USA Cares, to teach me about the challenges that post-9/11 veterans are facing, particularly with regards to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Morris: First, tell me about USA Cares. What is the mission of the organization?
Roby: USA Cares' official mission is to help bear the burdens of service by providing post-9/11 military families with financial and advocacy support in their time of need.
M: Tell me more about what that means and what that looks like on a day-to-day basis.
R: Let's say that a reservist normally makes $60,000 a year in her civilian job. If she was called to active duty after 9/11 and remained on active duty for seven years, she may only be making $30,000 a year, as a solider. That means that she has been sacrificing half of the income that she normally contributes to her family. Accordingly, her family may be in financial trouble (underwater on the mortgage, owing car loans etc.).
Or, let's take a veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Treatment may be free, but he may need to miss a couple of months of work in order to get that treatment. This often discourages a veteran from seeking treatment because he and his family cannot afford to lose those three months of salary.
This is where USA Cares comes in -- providing emergency financial assistance to veterans and their families in appreciation for their service and sacrifice. The organization relies solely on donations, meaning that it never charges fees or accepts repayment from veterans, so veterans don't have to worry about paying it back.
read more here
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Nearly 1 in 4 stroke survivors develop PTSD, study shows
Nearly 1 in 4 stroke survivors develop PTSD, study shows
USA TODAY
Cathy Payne
June 19, 2013
About one in nine stroke or mini-stroke patients have chronic PTSD more than a year later, a new study finds.
A stroke may leave some survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder, which may hinder their recovery, according to a study released today.
About 23% of patients who survive a stroke or transient ischemic attack, a brief interruption of blood flow to the brain, have PTSD symptoms within a year, the study finds. About 11% have chronic PTSD, in which symptoms last three months or longer, more than a year later. The study, led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, was published online today in the journal PLOS ONE.
"Strokes are among the most terrifying life-threatening events," says lead author Donald Edmondson.
read more here
USA TODAY
Cathy Payne
June 19, 2013
About one in nine stroke or mini-stroke patients have chronic PTSD more than a year later, a new study finds.
A stroke may leave some survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder, which may hinder their recovery, according to a study released today.
About 23% of patients who survive a stroke or transient ischemic attack, a brief interruption of blood flow to the brain, have PTSD symptoms within a year, the study finds. About 11% have chronic PTSD, in which symptoms last three months or longer, more than a year later. The study, led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, was published online today in the journal PLOS ONE.
"Strokes are among the most terrifying life-threatening events," says lead author Donald Edmondson.
read more here
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
The Secret Life of a Wounded American Soldier
The Secret Life of a Wounded American Soldier
The Fiscal Times
By MAUREEN MACKEY
June 11, 2013
We know the federal government will spend roughly $2 million on long-term medical costs for each of the 866,181 American soldiers injured during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars – for a total cost of $1.7 trillion.
What we don’t know is the intimate and gritty details of the lives of the people involved – the struggles and stresses of the men and women who have fought for America and were wounded, disabled, disoriented or in some other way afflicted.
Scores of young Americans have risked their lives over the last decade or more, but we don’t really know what they’ve been through.
“I have to admit, [no] veterans spoke to me of war until I returned from one,” says Brian Turner, author of the poem, “The Hurt Locker,” from which the hit 2008 film took its title. “They told me a great many things about war and wartime experience – but always in stories that circled around or remained on the periphery of actual combat experience.”
Now a new book, Outside the Wire: American Soldiers’ Voices from Afghanistan, for which Turner wrote the foreword, greatly helps our understanding.
Thirty-eight soldiers and their spouses shared the bravery and the fear, the pride and the pain they experienced on the battlefield. “Our soldiers carry the weight of war for each of us,” says Christine Leche, who taught creative writing and English at Bagram Air Base, one of the largest U.S. military bases in Afghanistan, and pulled these essays together. Too often our soldiers are stereotyped, says Leche in her book. Maybe “as a culture we honor them” – but most of us don’t know them.
read more here
The Fiscal Times
By MAUREEN MACKEY
June 11, 2013
We know the federal government will spend roughly $2 million on long-term medical costs for each of the 866,181 American soldiers injured during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars – for a total cost of $1.7 trillion.
What we don’t know is the intimate and gritty details of the lives of the people involved – the struggles and stresses of the men and women who have fought for America and were wounded, disabled, disoriented or in some other way afflicted.
Scores of young Americans have risked their lives over the last decade or more, but we don’t really know what they’ve been through.
“I have to admit, [no] veterans spoke to me of war until I returned from one,” says Brian Turner, author of the poem, “The Hurt Locker,” from which the hit 2008 film took its title. “They told me a great many things about war and wartime experience – but always in stories that circled around or remained on the periphery of actual combat experience.”
Now a new book, Outside the Wire: American Soldiers’ Voices from Afghanistan, for which Turner wrote the foreword, greatly helps our understanding.
Thirty-eight soldiers and their spouses shared the bravery and the fear, the pride and the pain they experienced on the battlefield. “Our soldiers carry the weight of war for each of us,” says Christine Leche, who taught creative writing and English at Bagram Air Base, one of the largest U.S. military bases in Afghanistan, and pulled these essays together. Too often our soldiers are stereotyped, says Leche in her book. Maybe “as a culture we honor them” – but most of us don’t know them.
read more here
Monday, June 10, 2013
FOX News lawsuit over live coverage of suicide victim's kids saw
Children See Father's Suicide on Fox News
Courthouse News Service
By JAMIE ROSS
PHOENIX (CN) - Fox News' broadcast of a man's suicide left his three young children with post-traumatic stress disorder, their mother claims in court.
Angela Rodriguez sued News Corp., Fox Entertainment Group and Fox News Network, in Maricopa County Court.
She claims that after Fox showed the suicide on "Studio B with Shepard Smith," her children found it on YouTube and now are so depressed they can't even go to school.
"Studio B" broadcast parts of an 80-mile car chase involving the children's father, JoDon Romero, in and around Phoenix on Sept. 28, 2012.
When Romero jumped out of the car and began running through the desert with a gun, "Studio B's host, Shepard Smith, began saying over and over to 'get off,' meaning to turn off the broadcast so as to not broadcast the events that were about to happen," the complaint states. Romero shot himself in the head.
"This suicide was broadcast live nationally," the complaint states. "Because Fox News did not delay the broadcast by even a few seconds - despite Shepard Smith's pleas to stop the broadcast - every person in the country watching the program saw the driver shoot himself in the head.
"Notably, the local Fox affiliate, from whom 'Studio B' was receiving its live feed, was utilizing a several-second delay, Thus, viewers in the Phoenix area who were watching the incident unfold on the local Fox station (rather than on the Fox News national network) did not see the suicide, as the several-second delay enabled the local technicians to prevent the broadcast of the suicide."
read more here
Phoenix Suspect Shoots Self In Head On Live Fox
Courthouse News Service
By JAMIE ROSS
PHOENIX (CN) - Fox News' broadcast of a man's suicide left his three young children with post-traumatic stress disorder, their mother claims in court.
Angela Rodriguez sued News Corp., Fox Entertainment Group and Fox News Network, in Maricopa County Court.
She claims that after Fox showed the suicide on "Studio B with Shepard Smith," her children found it on YouTube and now are so depressed they can't even go to school.
"Studio B" broadcast parts of an 80-mile car chase involving the children's father, JoDon Romero, in and around Phoenix on Sept. 28, 2012.
When Romero jumped out of the car and began running through the desert with a gun, "Studio B's host, Shepard Smith, began saying over and over to 'get off,' meaning to turn off the broadcast so as to not broadcast the events that were about to happen," the complaint states. Romero shot himself in the head.
"This suicide was broadcast live nationally," the complaint states. "Because Fox News did not delay the broadcast by even a few seconds - despite Shepard Smith's pleas to stop the broadcast - every person in the country watching the program saw the driver shoot himself in the head.
"Notably, the local Fox affiliate, from whom 'Studio B' was receiving its live feed, was utilizing a several-second delay, Thus, viewers in the Phoenix area who were watching the incident unfold on the local Fox station (rather than on the Fox News national network) did not see the suicide, as the several-second delay enabled the local technicians to prevent the broadcast of the suicide."
read more here
Phoenix Suspect Shoots Self In Head On Live Fox
Sunday, June 9, 2013
September 11th firefighter and first responder to Pentagon succumbed to injuries
This headline got my attention and that is pretty sad because it was not the word "gay" that did it. It was everything that came after it. Firefighter, first responder, Pentagon and September 11th. Who decided that what people do in their personal lives mattered so much they had to be added to a headline? While there are many articles that should include this disclosure, it was not necessary here.
Gay firefighter, first responder to Pentagon on 9/11, dies
Washington Blade
By Lou Chibbaro Jr.
June 7, 2013
Phillip Curtis McKee III, a businessman, stained glass artist and firefighter who was among the first to respond to the fire at the Pentagon caused by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack, died May 31 at a hospital in Fairfax City, Va. He was 41.
Family members attribute McKee’s death to complications from injuries and illness linked to three days of fighting the Pentagon fire following the 9/11 attack, including inhalation of toxic dust, a severe leg injury that resulted in him being wheel chair bound, and a prolonged bout of post-traumatic stress disorder.
McKee’s husband and partner of 15 years, Nopadon McKee, said the injuries forced Phillip McKee to retire from his job as a firefighter due to disability. Although he displayed “tremendous courage” in persevering as an artist, businessman, and author over the next 12 years, the injuries and his struggle with PTSD took its toll, Nopadon McKee said.
“He succumbed to his injuries,” a statement released by the family says.
read more here
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
US House passes military sexual-assault reporting compensation bill
US House passes military sexual-assault reporting compensation bill
By Kevin Miller
Morning Sentinel
Washington Bureau Chief
June 4, 2013
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill named for a Maine woman that aims to make it easier for veterans who were sexually assaulted to receive compensation.
"I'm beyond pleased," Ruth Moore, a sexual assault survivor and the bill's namesake, said Tuesday after the House approved the bill on a voice vote. "It is bittersweet, of course. But this is going to make a difference for so many veterans. Now we just need to get it through the Senate."
read more here
By Kevin Miller
Morning Sentinel
Washington Bureau Chief
June 4, 2013
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill named for a Maine woman that aims to make it easier for veterans who were sexually assaulted to receive compensation.
The Ruth Moore Act of 2013 aims to help victims of military sexual trauma qualify for disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Bill supporters argue that disability claims for mental health conditions linked to a sexual assault should be treated the same as claims for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, from combat. The VA receives thousands of claims linked to sexual assaults every year. However, advocacy groups contend the approval rate is too low, in large part because many veterans never report the assaults out of fear of retaliation, or the documentation has been lost or destroyed.House passage of the bill — which was sponsored by Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District — represents the first policy victory this year in either chamber of Congress for veterans' groups and lawmakers pushing for a more aggressive military response to sexual assault within the ranks.
"I'm beyond pleased," Ruth Moore, a sexual assault survivor and the bill's namesake, said Tuesday after the House approved the bill on a voice vote. "It is bittersweet, of course. But this is going to make a difference for so many veterans. Now we just need to get it through the Senate."
read more here
Monday, June 3, 2013
Wounded Times proven right by new research on Resilience
Wounded Times proven right by new research on Resilience
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times Blog
June 3, 2013
I get it and that should freak everyone out. I am an average person. I don't have a PHD. I do not get millions in research grants. As a matter of fact I am so average I still haven't figured out how to get enough donations to keep my head above water while working 70 hours a week 365 days a year. The real frightening thing is, I got it back in 2008 when I came out and said the training the military was doing was harmful. I got it even more when the next year I wrote that if the military pushed "resilience training" they would see an increase in suicides.
This is from 2008 and posted with the question, "Is Battlemind better than nothing?"
Last year after spending many years working with families after it was too late to help their veteran heal, I agreed to write THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR. They wanted their stories told but above that, they wanted someone to finally tell the truth about what was going on with this training. What I discovered was sickening. Billions spent every year by multiple government agencies and no one held accountable for any of it. Parents were visiting graves of soldiers who were supposed to have been safely back home and not being in more danger than during war.
They were reading what research was contained on Wounded Times and they knew why their lives turned out the way they did. They also discovered they were not responsible for the suicide. We were. They could finally stop blaming themselves and start blaming people defending resilience training.
As part of Point Man International Ministries we address the spiritual healing in small groups. There you have the spiritual and social support. We cannot help with the financial needs because most of us are operating out of our pockets. We don't have a powerful PR agency behind us. The kicker is, this approach was understood in 1984 when Vietnam Veterans were back home and in a lot of pain. The same pain we see in the eyes of the OEF and OIF veterans. Nothing has changed. War is still war and basic human needs are the same. PTSD has been researched since the 70's but it is almost as if nothing was learned if you read the press reports. Again, leaders of Point Man are average people but we have above average understanding of what it takes to heal.
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times Blog
June 3, 2013
I get it and that should freak everyone out. I am an average person. I don't have a PHD. I do not get millions in research grants. As a matter of fact I am so average I still haven't figured out how to get enough donations to keep my head above water while working 70 hours a week 365 days a year. The real frightening thing is, I got it back in 2008 when I came out and said the training the military was doing was harmful. I got it even more when the next year I wrote that if the military pushed "resilience training" they would see an increase in suicides.
After tragedy, who bounces back? Keys to resiliency may lie in childhood
By Rebecca Ruiz, contributor
NBC News
June 2, 2013
After a tornado hit the Henryville, Ind., home of Stephanie Decker last year, injuring her so badly that both her legs had to be amputated, the 38-year-old mother of two knew she had to "push forward and thrive," she told NBC News. “If not only for myself, but also to show other amputees who have struggles of their own that the impossible is possible.”
Since that day in March 2012, Decker, known as "Tornado Mom," has become famous for her resiliency and spirit. She's now a motivational speaker and has created a foundation to help other amputees.
As the nation recovers from recent tragedies in Boston and Oklahoma, "resiliency" has become the buzzword for recovery, a promise to rebound made almost before the full emotional impact of a disaster has been absorbed. Studies have shown that the majority of trauma survivors do go on to lead happy, productive lives -- but not everyone.
Emerging research on the biology of resilience suggests a person’s ability to recover – or risk of spiraling into depression -- may depend on an elusive combination of early life experiences, genetics and brain chemistry. In fact, recovering from trauma or heartbreak is a far more complicated response than scientists once thought, says Dr. Farris Tuma, chief of the Traumatic Stress Research Program at the National Institute of Mental Health.
“This is the Holy Grail – to understand what makes people resilient,” Tuma said.
Social relationships, faith, health and financial stability are factors in resilience, while negative childhood experiences, such as trauma, abuse and chronic stress, can prime the body to react to both major hardship and everyday setbacks with the same degree of fear and panic.
But not all victims of trauma are able to bounce back as Decker has.
read more here
This is from 2008 and posted with the question, "Is Battlemind better than nothing?"
Battlemind skills helped you survive in combat, but may cause you problems if not adapted when you get home.It was followed up by this Excuse my language but BattleMind is Bullshit! Everything I was seeing and hearing from the veterans given this training told a much different story than what the military was saying and it was obvious for one simple reason. This average person paid attention.
Although 89% of Soldiers report receiving suicide prevention training, only 52% of Soldiers reported the training to be sufficient, indicating the need to revise the suicide prevention training so that it is applicable in a combat environment.
Last year after spending many years working with families after it was too late to help their veteran heal, I agreed to write THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR. They wanted their stories told but above that, they wanted someone to finally tell the truth about what was going on with this training. What I discovered was sickening. Billions spent every year by multiple government agencies and no one held accountable for any of it. Parents were visiting graves of soldiers who were supposed to have been safely back home and not being in more danger than during war.
They were reading what research was contained on Wounded Times and they knew why their lives turned out the way they did. They also discovered they were not responsible for the suicide. We were. They could finally stop blaming themselves and start blaming people defending resilience training.
As part of Point Man International Ministries we address the spiritual healing in small groups. There you have the spiritual and social support. We cannot help with the financial needs because most of us are operating out of our pockets. We don't have a powerful PR agency behind us. The kicker is, this approach was understood in 1984 when Vietnam Veterans were back home and in a lot of pain. The same pain we see in the eyes of the OEF and OIF veterans. Nothing has changed. War is still war and basic human needs are the same. PTSD has been researched since the 70's but it is almost as if nothing was learned if you read the press reports. Again, leaders of Point Man are average people but we have above average understanding of what it takes to heal.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Did anyone ask Robert Downey Jr. what "a little PTSD" is?
Kevin Feige: 'No Iron Man 3 pressure'
'Iron Man 3' has ''no pressure'' to be bigger than 'The Avengers'.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has insisted that the forthcoming action flick - which sees Robert Downey Jr. reprise his role as the metal-clad crime fighter - isn't expected to be bigger or more action-packed than last year's superhero team-up movie and will instead focus on developing the Tony Stark character.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has insisted that the forthcoming action flick - which sees Robert Downey Jr. reprise his role as the metal-clad crime fighter - isn't expected to be bigger or more action-packed than last year's superhero team-up movie and will instead focus on developing the Tony Stark character.
Downey added: ''The tone of the movie is a little different than the other Marvel movies so far. It's no mystery that Tony has a little PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] from what happened in New York [in 'The Avengers'] and he's struggling. He's messed up.''
Monday, April 1, 2013
Studies show stress really can break your heart
Studies show stress really can break your heart
By Marilynn Marchione
Associated Press
Stress does bad things to the heart. New studies have found higher rates of cardiac problems in veterans with PTSD, New Orleans residents six years after Hurricane Katrina and Greeks struggling through that country's financial turmoil.
Disasters and prolonged stress can raise "fight or flight" hormones that affect blood pressure, blood sugar and other things in ways that make heart trouble more likely, doctors say. They also provoke anger and helplessness and spur heart-harming behaviors like eating or drinking too much.
"We're starting to connect emotions with cardiovascular risk markers" and the new research adds evidence of a link, said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center and an American Heart Association spokeswoman.
She had no role in the studies, which were discussed Sunday at an American College of Cardiology conference in San Francisco.
The largest, involving 207,954 veterans in California and Nevada ages 46 to 74, compared those with PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, to those without it. They were free of major heart disease and diabetes when researchers checked their Veterans Administration medical records from 2009 and 2010.
read more here
By Marilynn Marchione
Associated Press
Stress does bad things to the heart. New studies have found higher rates of cardiac problems in veterans with PTSD, New Orleans residents six years after Hurricane Katrina and Greeks struggling through that country's financial turmoil.
Disasters and prolonged stress can raise "fight or flight" hormones that affect blood pressure, blood sugar and other things in ways that make heart trouble more likely, doctors say. They also provoke anger and helplessness and spur heart-harming behaviors like eating or drinking too much.
"We're starting to connect emotions with cardiovascular risk markers" and the new research adds evidence of a link, said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center and an American Heart Association spokeswoman.
She had no role in the studies, which were discussed Sunday at an American College of Cardiology conference in San Francisco.
The largest, involving 207,954 veterans in California and Nevada ages 46 to 74, compared those with PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, to those without it. They were free of major heart disease and diabetes when researchers checked their Veterans Administration medical records from 2009 and 2010.
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