PTSD: You're not alone, you have a lot of company

Just to get an idea of how many reports there are on PTSD here is an eye opener for you.

One In Five Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans Suffer From PTSD Or ...Science Daily (press release) - Apr 18, 2008ScienceDaily (Apr. 17, 2008) — Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan -- 300000 in all -- report symptoms ...

State forms commission on veteran mental health careBoston Globe, United States - Apr 18, 2008By Globe Staff A day after the release of a study that found that nearly 1 in 5 veterans is suffering from depression or stress disorders, ...

One in Three Returning Vets Suffer from Brain Injuries, Mental ...AlterNet, CA - Apr 18, 2008Last month, hundreds of veterans who had served in the "War on Terror" gathered at the Winter Soldier hearings in Washington. They had come from across the ...

Almost 300000 US soldiers suffer from mental problemsGranma International, Cuba - Apr 18, 2008WASHINGTON.— Almost 300000 US soldiers who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan — the equivalent of one out of every five veterans of those wars — are ...

Mental woes bedevil US troopsThe Australian, Australia - Apr 18, 2008WASHINGTON: More than 300000 US military veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depression, ...

Wars take a heavy mental toll on forcesThe Age, Australia - Apr 18, 2008ABOUT 300000 US military personnel who have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan are suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depression, ...

Depression hits US troops hardDetroit Free Press, United States - Apr 18, 2008BY ROB WATERS • BLOOMBERG NEWS • April 18, 2008 About one in five US troops suffers from major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder from serving in ...

1 in 5 veterans found with mental disorderBoston Globe, United States - Apr 17, 2008Jackie Smith welcomed her husband, Staff Sergeant Steven Smith of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3d Infantry Division, at a homecoming ceremony at Fort ...

Nearly a Fifth of War Veterans Report Mental Disorders, a Private ...New York Times, United States - Apr 17, 2008By LIZETTE ALVAREZ One in five service members who have returned from Iraq or Afghanistan report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or major ...

'One in five US servicemen has brain injury'Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - Apr 17, 2008By Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent The psychological toll of America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has touched one in five servicemen and its ...

Combat Stress May Cost US Up to $6 BillionWashington Post, United States - Apr 17, 2008By Ann Scott Tyson About 300000 US military personnel who have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or ...

AP Top News at 9:39 pm EDTThe Associated Press - Apr 17, 2008WASHINGTON (AP) — Roughly one in every five US troops who have survived the bombs and other dangers of Iraq and Afghanistan now suffers from major ...

18.5% of Iraq, Afghanistan veterans have depression or PTSD, study ...Los Angeles Times, CA - Apr 17, 2008The Army has stepped up mental health screening at the end of tours, but the Rand study says many soldiers are still undiagnosed. ...

Summary: Nearly 1 in 5 troops has mental problems after warThe Associated Press - Apr 17, 2008WAR STRAIN: Roughly one in five US troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffers from major depression or post-traumatic stress, says a study. ...

Study Estimates Huge Need for US Military Mental Health CareVoice of America - Apr 17, 2008By Al Pessin A prominent research organization estimated Thursday that 300000 of the 1.5 million US troops who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan have ...

One in five US veterans suffer from mental problemsXinhua, China - Apr 17, 2008WASHINGTON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- One in five US veterans who returned from the Iraq or Afghanistan war suffered from post traumatic stress disorder or major ...

FYI: Post-Traumatic Stress DisorderCBS News, NY - Apr 17, 2008(CBS) A staggering percentage of US servicemembers is suffering from major depression or post-traumatic stress: One in five. That's according to a new study ...

Nearly 1 in 5 Iraq Vets Reports Signs of Post-Traumatic Stress ...U.S. News & World Report, DC - Apr 17, 2008The first large-scale, nongovernmental assessment of the psychological needs of US troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past six years ...

Study says 300000 US troops suffer mental problemsReuters - Apr 17, 2008By David Morgan WASHINGTON, April 17 (Reuters) - About 300000 US troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress ...

PTSD, depression afflict 300000 Iraq, Afghan war vets: studyAFP - Apr 17, 2008WASHINGTON (AFP) — About 300000 US military veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan currently suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or ...

Nearly 1 in 5 vets reports mental problemsThe Associated Press - Apr 17, 2008WASHINGTON (AP) — Roughly one in five US troops is suffering from major depression or post-traumatic stress from serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ...

VA center to start brain injury treatmentTuscaloosa News (subscription), AL - 2 hours agoBy Lydia Seabol Avant TUSCALOOSA The Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center will soon be at the forefront in medical treatment of traumatic brain ...

High-profile ex-general joins veterans discussionSioux Falls Argus Leader, SD - 4 hours agoSen. Tim Johnson, DS.D., has been a longtime reliable ally for South Dakota's veterans. Saturday, though, when Johnson and veterans organization leaders ...

How one Marine's death is prompting a closer look at PTSDCharlotte Sun-Herald, FL - 6 hours agoEric Hall would often pinch his lapel to his lips and whisper, as if a microphone was transmitting the cryptic message. No one knew what to make of the ...

Major depression hits veterans of Iraq-Afghan warsAustralian News, Australia - 10 hours agoUS military veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home with post traumatic stress disorder or major depression. ...

“Epidemic of suicides” Veterans claims of inadequate care goes to ...Fog City Journal, CA - 16 hours agoBy Julia Cheever A two-week federal trial will begin in San Francisco on Monday on claims by two veterans’ groups that the government is failing woefully to ...

Multiple tours in Iraq still cause of strain in soldiersGuilfordian (subscription), NC - 19 hours agoConcerns about soldiers' mental health emerged in the midst of Gen. David H. Petraeus and Bush's decision to keep 140000 troops in Iraq until Election Day. ...

Soldiers and PTSDInjuryBoard.com, FL - 22 hours agoThe war in Iraq has raised serious questions about how our soldiers are treated for their wartime psychological injuries. Soldiers with physical injuries, ...

Troops and mental traumaBerkshire Eagle, MA - Apr 19, 2008The finding by the Rand Corporation that roughly 20 percent of the troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have mental health issues is sobering, ...

Third of million Afghan, Iraq war veterans are depressedThaindian.com, Thailand - Apr 19, 2008Washington, April 19 (IANS) Nearly 20 percent of US servicemen back from Iraq and Afghanistan - or a third of a million - suffer from post-traumatic stress ...

Syracuse VA sees increase in troops seeking careNewsChannel 9 WSYR, NY - Apr 18, 2008Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - A new report shows about one in five US troops is coming back from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with major depression or ...

Troops Struggle with Mental Issues From WarKIMT, IA - Apr 18, 2008Forest City, IA- A new study suggests a number of US troops are suffering from serious mental health issues. They are issues that come from serving in Iraq ...

Mental cost of the occupationuruknet.info, Italy - Apr 18, 2008"About 300000 US troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, but about half receive no care, ...

Being there for veteransLas Vegas Sun, NV - Apr 18, 2008Twenty-two-year-old Joshua Omvig shot himself in his truck outside his parents’ home in Grundy Center, Iowa, on Dec. 22, 2005. A local newspaper reported ...

Post traumatic stress cases keep climbing at VA hospitalThe Birmingham News - al.com, AL - Apr 18, 2008The number of cases of post traumatic stress disorder continues to climb at the Birmingham VA Medical Center. As of Thursday, the hospital reported it has ...

Nation faces billions in long-term care costs for wounded troopsGovExec.com, DC - Apr 18, 2008By Bob Brewin bbrewin@govexec.com April 18, 2008 The United States must prepare to provide lifetime care for troops severely wounded in combat operations in ...

Almost 20 pct veterans suffer from mental disordersThe Money Times, India - Apr 18, 2008by Samia Sehgal - April 18, 2008 - 0 comments A study of the US veterans who returned from the Iraq or Afghanistan war reveals that one in five veterans is ...

Landmark Study: Iraq Vets Face Healthcare CrisisHuffington Post, NY - Apr 18, 2008"I remember waking up in the middle of the night. I'd sit straight up in bed and it was just hard to breathe and I was panicking and I remember my wife Lily ...

Follow the story: The wars on Terror and PTSDMinneapolis City Pages, MN - Apr 18, 2008The LA Times reported on a RAND study released this month discussing the psychological impact of guerrilla warfare on soldiers and the failure of the US ...

Report: 1 in 5 combat vets has PTSD or TBIArmyTimes.com, VA - Apr 18, 2008By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer A new report from a civilian research organization has found that about one in five combat veterans have experienced ...

Presenter: Director, Defense Center of Excellence for TBI/PTSD Col ...US Department of Defense (press release), DC - Apr 18, 2008The department recently established a new DOD Center of Excellence for TBI and PTSD. That center is designed to focus on quality programs and advanced ...

Reid pushes for vote on Filipino vets billNavyTimes.com, VA - Apr 18, 2008By Rick Maze - Staff writer A 10-month stalemate over a major veterans’ benefits bill will come to a head Tuesday with a procedural vote in the Senate to ...

Coverage & Access Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ...Kaiser network.org, DC - Apr 18, 2008Nearly one in five, or about 300000, soldiers who has served in Iraq or Afghanistan has post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression -- illnesses that ...

Stress disorder seen as 'crisis' in war veteransWashington Times, DC - Apr 18, 2008By Sara Carter About 300000 service members who returned home from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq now suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression ...

Nearly 300000 American Servicemen Are AfflictedToTheCenter.com, NY - Apr 18, 2008A recent independent study conducted by the RAND Corporation reveals that nearly 300000 US servicemen and women who have been deployed to Iraq and ...

Study Shows 300000 Iraq, Afghan Vets Suffer PTSD, DepressionE Canada Now, Canada - Apr 18, 2008Washington (eCanadaNow) - According to a new study, more than 300000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are suffering from mental illnesses such as ...

1 in 5 Iraq, Afghanistan Vets Reports Mental DisorderEnews 2.0, UK - Apr 18, 2008By Junia Mink It appears that one in five US troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffers from major depression post-traumatic stress (PTSD), ...

Report: Mental Disorders Affect 1 in 5 War VeteranseFluxMedia - Apr 18, 2008By Anna Boyd The latest research into the consequences of the Iraq or Afghanistan war concluded that 300000 of the 1.5 million US troops involved in the war ...

Landmark Study: Iraq Vets Face Healthcare CrisisAll American Patriots (press release), Sweden - Apr 18, 2008By admin - Posted on April 18th, 2008 04/17/08 -- NEW YORK – Today, the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization, released a groundbreaking study ...

Soldiers struggle to get help for PTSDabc7news.com, CA - Apr 17, 2008By Lisa Amin SAN JOSE (KGO) -- We tend to think of American troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, without visible injuries, as safe and sound. ...

1 in 5 Iraq, Afghanistan vets have PTSDUnited Press International - Apr 17, 2008SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 18 (UPI) -- Some 300000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression, ...

100 Years Of PTSD, Or, Hero-McCain Versus Bush-McCainBlackline, NY - Apr 17, 2008by Nonso Christian Ugbode While the Democratic hopefuls continue the long, now precarious, now tiring, eternal-tango for the nomination it seems presumptive ...
Thousands Of Soldiers Battle Poor Mental HealthWJZ, MD - Apr 17, 2008BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― A new study shows thousands of soldiers are suffering from mental health problems. Kathryn Brown reports many of though troops are ...

20% of Troops Return with Brain Injuries, Depressed, StressedWSAV-TV, GA - Apr 17, 2008By Alaina Anderson More than one million troops have cycled through Iraq and Afghanistan. A new study shows about 20 percent of those troops come back with ...

New Report on Vets' Mental Health 'Very Consistent' with Military ...NewsBlaze, CA - Apr 17, 2008By John J. Kruzel A study released today shows that nearly 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or ...

Study Says Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Are DepressedeFluxMedia - Apr 17, 2008By Matthew Williams An independent study released Thursday by the Rand Corp. reveals that 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq ...

Thursday’s Mini-ReportThe Carpetbagger Report - Apr 17, 2008* Suicide bombing in Iraq: “A suicide bomber struck the funeral of two Sunni tribesmen who joined forces against al-Qaida in Iraq, killing at least 50 ...

Many US War Vets Diagnosed With PTSD and Serious Mental DepressionDog Flu Diet and Diseases, Canada - Apr 17, 2008April 17 2008 - Results of a new study find that more than 300000 Iraq and Afghanistan US military war veterans are suffering from mental conditions ...

Only Half Of Iraq, Afghanistan War Vets With Mental Problems ...AHN - Apr 17, 2008Washington, DC (AHN) - A study by RAND Corporation said 300000 American soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from mental problems such ...
Study Finds Nearly 20% Of Soldiers Returning From Combat Suffer ...AHN - Apr 17, 2008Washington, DC (AHN) - Nearly one in five veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffers from post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, ...


Study Says 20% Of Iraq, Afghan Vets Suffer Depression, PTSDdBTechno, MA - Apr 17, 2008Boston (dbTechno) - According to a new study released by the RAND Corp., roughly 20% US troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have reported mental ...
Suspicious Numbers from Reuters [Kevin D. Williamson]National Review Online Blogs, NY - Apr 17, 2008According to this Reuters report, some 300000 US troops are suffering from some form of mental illness, from post-traumatic stress disorder to clinical ...

Pentagon Seeks Battlefield Device to Diagnose Brain InjuryWall Street Journal Blogs, NY - Apr 17, 2008Roadside bombs have made brain damage a grim hallmark of modern war. A RAND study out today says 320000 US troops may have suffered brain injuries in Iraq ...
Vietnam Veterans of America sponsoring seminar on PTSD MondayNews-Leader.com, MO - Apr 17, 2008Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 952 in Springfield will hold a seminar on post traumatic stress disorder on Monday at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 963, ...
300000 vets with mental problems, 320000 with brain injuriesWZTV, TN - Apr 17, 2008WASHINGTON (AP) -- A co-leader of a study of US troops says soldiers are facing a "major" mental-health crisis. She warns that without effective care, ...
WNY VA Residential Programs Target PTSD SurgeWBFO, NY - Apr 17, 2008BATAVIA, NY (2008-04-17) There is a surge of a different kind associated with the Iraq War. Cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are skyrocketing. ...
RAND study: 300000 US vets have mental problem, 320000 have brain ...The Canadian Press, WASHINGTON - Apr 17, 2008WASHINGTON — An estimated 300000 US veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are believed to be suffering from major mental health problems. ...
One in five US war veterans suffer mental problemsMangalorean.com, India - Apr 18, 2008Washington, April 18 (Xinhua) One in five US soldiers who returned from the Iraq or Afghanistan war, suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a ...

20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from major ...TopNews, India - Apr 17, 2008Washington, April 18: A new study has found that nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan report symptoms ...
In order to show you the most relevant results, we have omitted some entries very similar to the 69 already displayed.If you like, you can repeat the search with the omitted results included.

Notice the dates and then know this was just from a couple of days and this is not all there was. There were more. The point is that if you think you are alone dealing with PTSD, think there is something wrong with you, think that you need to keep silent or not talk about it at all, you have plenty of company and PTSD is nothing to be ashamed of. It's not your fault! It's a wound!

Dentist among "PTSD research" grants

UPDATE March 3, 2013
Looks like the CDC has been giving out money too.

CDC Grant Supports New Research Center for Suicide Prevention
August 20, 2012

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has awarded the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center a five-year grant of $4.1 million to establish an Injury Control Research Center for Suicide Prevention (ICRC-S).

Rochester’s center is one of only 11 Injury Control Research Centers in the country funded by the CDC and the only one focused primarily on suicide prevention. The ICRC-S is unique as well for being based in a psychiatry department.

“The suicide rate in the United States has been climbing over the last decade,” said Eric D. Caine, M.D. chair of the Department of Psychiatry and the grant’s principal investigator. “We will investigate the factors that contribute to family-level violence and intimate partner violence that also are factors that contribute to suicide. We will pay special attention to suicide occurring among men and women in the middle years, from 35 to 65. The overall increase in suicide in the United States has been driven by increases in the mid-life age range.”

For the ICRC-S, the Department of Psychiatry has partnered with the Education Development Center Inc. (EDC), a non-profit organization based in Waltham, Mass., that, Caine said, has extensive experience providing technical assistance and outreach to states and local communities to help them develop new knowledge, disseminate information, implement evidence-based practices, collect and analyze data, and evaluate outcomes.

If you read the other post on Military Suicides and the money behind them, you will really love this one. There are millions of dollars being made on redoing research that had been done over the last 40 years and the following will make your jaw drop too. The worst thing is, it took less than an hour to find these reports.

Dentistry gets grant to develop PTSD test
LOS ANGELES — Each year, more than a million Americans are at risk of developing serious mental health problems after experiencing a terrifying event or serious physical injury. Once manifested, these psychiatric illnesses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, can be extremely crippling and difficult to treat and are a leading cause of disability in civilian, military and minority populations.

Recognizing these emerging disorders early on provides health care professionals the best opportunity for preventive interventions.

Now, a team of researchers, led by Dr. Vivek Shetty, a professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry, has received a $3.8 million research grant to develop a salivary-biomarker approach for identifying individuals at future risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder and depression following a traumatic event.

Co-funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and the National Institutes of Health's Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, the study seeks to develop a panel of salivary stress biomarkers that will allow early recognition of emerging mental health disorders and permit preemptive psychological care.

"Current assessment strategies rely on subjective reports of symptoms by trauma survivors," Shetty said. "The symptom-based nature of psychological assessments presents significant challenges for trauma-care specialists attempting to differentiate between temporary distress and the early stages of mental health illnesses.

$2.4 Million Grant to Study the Transcendental Meditation program and PTSD in Veterans
December 2, 2012
Maharishi University of Management Research Institute in partnership with the San Diego Veterans Administration Medical Center received a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to study the effect of the Transcendental Meditation® technique on post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans.

The randomized controlled clinical trial will compare the Transcendental Meditation program to prolonged-exposure treatment — a trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy considered to be the VA’s gold standard. A third group will receive health education. The study will follow 210 subjects and will take four years to complete.

Grant gives counties chance to tackle PTSD treatment
By Charlie Ban
STAFF WRITER

A single gunshot makes an indelible mark in the memory of anyone who hears it. The flurry of them in combat can build a wall that people who haven’t experienced the same thing likely cannot penetrate.

There is no one right way to treat a mental illness like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). That truism has led to several approaches to combat it, and three counties in New York are starting two-year pilot programs to bring peer mentors to their veterans who suffer from PTSD.

A state grant gives $200,000 for two years to Jefferson, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties. Suffolk also received a grant through the program, and has formed a task force to study the increased incidence of suicide among veterans. Students at the State University of New York-Albany School of Social Work will evaluate the programs starting in 2013.

Tim Ruetten, Jefferson County’s coordinator of mental health, said research on peer-to-peer support for veterans is sparse, but the approach is sound. If nothing else, it allows veterans to spend time with someone who understands their experiences. The county is contracting out program administration.

“They provide camaraderie,” he said. “When they are discharged (from the military), they lose contact with a culture that saturates you.”

Although the volunteers are given training, focusing on confidentiality, identifying PTSD, engagement skills and suicide prevention protocols, Ruetten said the program will be non-clinical.

“We don’t want to create counselors, there are plenty of clinical approaches available,” he said. “This will be a way for a veteran to find an advocate, a buddy, and someone who is able to help streamline them into treatment if that’s where it needs to go.”

The U.S. departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs both support clinics in Jefferson County, which includes Fort Drum, but Ruetten said the program will serve to add diversity in the treatment offerings available. And it will give retired combat veterans an opportunity to lend their help to their brothers and sisters in arms.

September 19, 2012
VA and DoD to Fund $100 Million PTSD and TBI Study
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense (DoD) are investing more than $100 million in research to improve diagnosis and treatment of mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

“At VA, ensuring that our Veterans receive quality care is our highest priority,” said Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. “Investing in innovative research that will lead to treatments for PTSD and TBI is critical to providing the care our Veterans have earned and deserve.”

The two groups, The Consortium to Alleviate PTSD (CAP) and the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (CENC) will be jointly managed by VA, and by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), on behalf of the DoD.

Detrick receives $100M for PTSD, TBI research
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Sep 8, 2012

FREDERICK, Md. — Fort Detrick is receiving $100 million in federal grants to fund research into post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury.

The Frederick News-Post says the initiative, funded by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, was announced Friday by the Fort Detrick-based Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.

Penn Medicine Receives $7.7 Million Grant From Department of Defense to Study PTSD
September 25, 2012
PHILADELPHIA – A team of researchers led by Edna Foa PhD, professor of Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry and director of the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety (CTSA) at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania , has received a $7.7 million grant from the Department of Defense (DoD) to study the most effective way to implement Prolonged Exposure therapy, an effective and efficient treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among mental health practitioners who treat soldiers suffering from this disorder.

PTSD research team gets $3.5 million Defense Department grant
March 8, 2012

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a $3.5 million grant for a research project to more effectively treat post-traumatic stress disorder and ultimately prevent it from occurring.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency grant awarded to an interdisciplinary team of scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is intended to fuel the development of innovative technology for the military,according to a statement from Penn Medicine. It is being used to fund studies of military personnel who are being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder over a two-year period and marks the second phase of a two-part project.

Department of Defense grant boosts PTSD research
Woodruff Health Sciences Center
Dec. 13, 2011

Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the University of Southern California have been awarded an $11 million Department of Defense grant to test two different types of exposure therapy combined with the drug D-Cycloserine (DCS) for the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Exposure therapy is an evidence-based intervention that has been demonstrated as effective in the treatment of PTSD. During each exposure therapy session, patients repeatedly retell their traumatic experience with the guidance of a trained clinician. D-Cycloserine, a cognitive enhancer, has been found by Emory researchers to facilitate the extinction of fear that occurs during exposure therapy.

also this report

$11 Million Grant Funds Study of PTSD Therapies
December 14, 2011

Researchers at USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the Emory University School of Medicine have been awarded an $11 million, four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to test different ways to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including the use of a virtual-reality exposure therapy developed at ICT.

The study will involve 300 military and civilian personnel who have been diagnosed with PTSD as a consequence of their service in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The goals are to decrease the time needed for effective treatment of PTSD, give the right treatment to the right person, and identify factors involved in its development and response to treatment.

The researchers also will examine personal and genetic factors that may impact an individual’s chances of developing PTSD, as well as future response to therapy.

The grant is a culmination of years of collaborative and novel research by investigators who are known as leaders in their field. It was led by JoAnn Difede, director of the Program for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Studies at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and professor of psychology in psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College. Co-investigators were Albert “Skip” Rizzo, associate director of medical virtual reality at ICT and research professor at the USC Davis School of Gerontology, and Barbara Rothbaum, director of the Trauma and Anxiety Recovery Program and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine.

Study seeks biomarkers for Invisible War Scars
New York Times
James Dao
February 6, 2013

Now, in one of the largest studies of its kind, a team of researchers based out of New York University’s medical school have begun a five-year study to find biological signals, known as biomarkers, that could provide reliable, objective evidence of those so-called invisible injuries of war.

Researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the military’s medical school in Bethesda, Md., are studying soldiers at Fort Bragg, N.C., in search of PTSD biomarkers. And Draper Laboratory, a nonprofit research company based in Cambridge, Mass., has recruited experts to look for biomarkers for the disorder.

Dr. Marmar’s project is significant both because of its size — researchers hope to recruit 1,500 subjects — but also because much of its financing is already guaranteed through a $17 million grant from the Steven A. and Alexandra M. Cohen Foundation, founded by the billionaire hedge-fund manager. Dr. Marmar hopes to match that with federal grants.

Research Program: PTSD Protocol for War Veterans Marshall University is a central player in furthering the goals of the Research and Recognition Project. Grant projects and the development of the first NLP University Center in the U.S. are moving forward. Professor William McDowell, a long time NLP trainer, joined the Research & Recognition Project at its inception in 2007. When we decided to focus on the PTSD area he collected a team necessary to develop grant proposals. The team spearheaded the writing and development of a $300,000 pilot grant proposal and a three year state of the art scientific grant proposal of $12,000,000 to $13,000,000. Both those grants are currently being circulated for funding, at Marshall University, D.O.D., and in a number of White papers to Congress and the Services. A terrible development occurred with this in mid April (2008) when Professor McDowell suffered a massive heart attack and was forced to retire from Marshall University. With Professor McDowell’s recovery last summer and his appointment as Professor Emeritus, the Grant applications and the development of the first NLP University Center in the U.S. are again going forward. When difficulties arose communicating the nature of the NLP PTSD treatment protocol it was decided to produce a DVD example of the treatment applied to an Iraq War veteran from the pilot program at Marshall University. Funds to do this were found by Howard McClintick of CTC Foundation, and the DVD example of the NLP PTSD treatment protocol was successfully completed at Marshall University.

While this was not from last year, it added in this bit of news on "Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, the best of the researched methods, is effective 32% of the time and takes four to nine months."

When PTSD articles fail to tell the whole truth, suffering goes on

When PTSD articles fail to tell the whole truth, suffering goes on
by Chaplain Kathie
Wounded Times Blog
November 2, 2012

I just read an article "Does PTSD Cause Violence?" that appeared to have a lot to offer in the discussion involving the different type of PTSD veterans and police officers are hit by than what civilians end up with. While civilians can suffer from traumatic events that happen once in their lives, usually they do not have to face it happening over and over again.

Abuse is different from other traumatic "events" in a person's life. Abuse is a continuing cycle with the constant fear of repeated threats to their lives and wellbeing. For abuse victims, if they live with the abuser, events feed what living with trauma has already done to them. Victims are told to get away from the abuser but until that person is in jail or has died, the fear remains until the survivor can be sure they are no longer in danger. They cannot begin to heal until the threat is gone.

In attempting to remove the idea that PTSD veterans are dangerous the article misses too much that needs to be discussed. Apparently the authors have not discovered what a flashback is or they would know what happens if a veteran is having a flashback and some decides to yell at them or touch them, especially a spouse. Nightmares, well they are just as bad if someone goes about waking them up the wrong way. They put "flashback" in the list along with hyper-arousal but while attempting to eliminate the fear some people have they cut out some really important details.

Does PTSD Cause Violence? Article from Badge of Life
By Andy O’Hara, Sergeant (ret.) California Highway Patrol and Founder, Badge of Life,
and
Richard L. Levenson, Jr., Psy.D., CTS, Vice Chairman, Badge of Life

Are veterans (or police officers) with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) a danger on the streets? Are combat veterans with PTSD returning home as “trained killers?”

We have all read these newspaper headlines: “PTSD made him a Murderer!” “Psychologist: Killer has PTSD!” “War damaged vet kills girlfriend; PTSD to blame?” “Officer uses PTSD defense for strangling, battering his wife.”

These are the kind of headlines making the rounds as thousands of military veterans return from our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Not only is society fearing them, but some police departments are warning their personnel to “be on the watch” for veterans in general (as if you can tell them apart), with the implication that military service alone carries the threat of having the “PTSD germ.”

Defense attorneys are always open for a ready-made opportunity to suggest that a suspect was conditioned by the military into responding to any stress situations with violence—and thereby commit a murder. The media, of course, sees a story guaranteed to generate both interest and controversy throughout the extended length of a trial, and the headlines, as we have seen, inflame and arouse a variety of passions.

The unfortunate consequence of this sensationalism, sadly, is to stigmatize not only veterans with PTSD, but all PTSD sufferers, as being potentially dangerous.

This is not really new. To begin with, society has always tended to view the mentally ill as “dangerous.” Mental Health America reports that characters with mental illnesses are depicted in prime time television shows as the most dangerous of all demographic groups: 60 percent were shown to be involved in crime or violence. Also, most news accounts portray people with mental illness as dangerous. The vast majority of news stories on mental illness either focus on other negative characteristics related to people with the disorder (e.g., unpredictability and unsociability) or on medical treatments.

Simply put, PTSD is “fear” based, not “aggression” based. The DSM-IV-R (Diagnostic Statistical Manual, Revised) is clear. In brief, the primary features of the this illness are:
· flashbacks
· withdrawal
· numbing
· hyperarousal
· and isolation.

Violence is not included. In fact, not one single research study exists linking violent behavior with the diagnosis of PTSD. While, anger and agitation are common symptoms of PTSD, these feelings tend to be turned inward, contributing to making it the terribly painful disorder it is. Combined with depression, it is not unusual for the sufferer to become suicidal. But a diagnosis of PTSD, in itself, does not make a person violent towards others. Again, the concern should be more that they will be a danger to themselves, not others. There is a possibility, of course, that unintentional harm could come to others as the result of a suicide attempt, not only by gunshot, but though an intentional automobile accident, jumping from a building, or any other number of self-destructive acts. John Violanti, Ph.D., in his book, “Police Suicide: Epidemic in Blue,” points out the interesting phenomenon of “suicide by suspect,” in which an officer consciously or unconsciously wishes to die and willfully involves himself in situations of extreme danger or confrontation with a criminal, thereby increasing the risk of death. Even so, in these situations the danger to others is indirect and unintentional.

Here are just two of them the authors said do not exist.

VA research shows that male vets with PTSD are two to three times more likely than veterans without PTSD, to engage in intimate partner violence and more likely to be involved in the legal system.

Veterans with PTSD are two to three times as likely to be physically abusive of their wives and girlfriends as those without the diagnosis. They’re three times as likely to get into fistfights when they go to college. One study showed they are especially prone to “impulsive aggression,” but that “premeditated aggression” — the kind of act Bales is accused of — was far more common in veterans without PTSD than in those with it.

They are in fact more likely to harm themselves than anyone else and this blog proves that. There are more posts about suicide than crimes and Wounded Times Blog tracks these stories across the country everyday. Few news reports are missed.

The reason is simple. Police officers and combat veterans "serve and protect" but because they are required to use violence as well as face it, the type of PTSD they end up with is much different than what civilians go through. They are not just survivors of traumatic events, they are participants in them. For them it is not just once, over and done with, but they live in a daily fear of something happening when they will once again risk their lives.

Now, think about what it takes for them to be willing to and able to do what they do everyday. It requires a deep level of core beliefs they can make a difference. They do not risk their lives to kill someone else, but they do risk their lives to save someone else.

When they have PTSD, the moment they had to take a life is frozen in their minds and they forget the events leading up to it unable to see "rest of the movie" in their own minds. If they begin to think it was an "evil" act then they think they have become evil as well. Their thoughts end up struggling to take over the core of their character. Emotional debriefing (when done right) allows them to view everything leading up to what they had to do. Once they remember their primary motivation was to protect someone else, they begin to forgive themselves for what they had to do.

They get survivor's guilt when they were not able to save a victim or their buddy. They blame themselves. Again this feeds into the "evil" thoughts because "they didn't deserve" to survive.

Most of the reaction we see is tied to if they get help or not. If the families know what to do and understand that how they react has a lot to do with how they all cope and heal.

We also need to think about side effects from medications they are given, if they use street drugs or alcohol to "get numb" along with a very long list of everything else including getting proper treatment and compensation. A lack of income when they can't work anymore adds to the stress they are under and there is nothing worse than finally admitting they need help but find no support in healing. This replaces the threat to their lives from combat with a threat of not being able to keep a roof over their heads and food for their families.

Trying to set the record straight avoids the reason Veterans Courts have been established across the country.

Ret. General Peter Chiarelli Thinks Veterans Only Claim PTSD

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 12, 2015

The more I read news reports, the more I think about how Ray Bradbury had it right in the movie Something Wicked This Way Comes. I was reading a story on a "new treatment for PTSD" sceptically as usual about how reporters like to pull off a word placement game to hook in readers, then slam them with the facts afterwards.

‘Brain zapping’: Veterans say experimental PTSD treatment has changed their lives on the Washington Post by Richard Leiby published today when I came upon this facinating claim by Ret. General Peter Chiarelli.

The story glossed over all the claims, especially this one, “One hundred percent responded with very visible change,” then went on to say it is used to treat kids with Asperger's syndrome and Autism. They are pushing the VA to buy into it to treat veterans with PTSD.

In the spring, Jin and others with the center made the rounds in Washington, briefing officials at the Pentagon and Veterans Administration and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on their PTSD findings. They urged a pilot program to give vets immediate access to the treatment, which they said could be simply implemented with a couple of MRT machines, which cost about $50,000 each.

But the VA needs controlled clinical trials. So, striving to gain credibility, the center launched a double-blind trial in October for 48 vets who reported PTSD symptoms, and it expects to launch one for 400 autistic patients early this year — both at the University of California at San Diego.

First they need the money to pay for the machines to see if it will work after they give veterans access to it? What? Study on Autistic patients to prove it will work on veterans? What?

At this point I pretty much was done reading until I came across this stunner.

“You can’t prove it one way or another,” says Chiarelli, who was a top commander in Iraq. “I’m here to tell you that 50 percent who say they have PTS — or some percentage of people — do not have PTS.”

What the hell is that supposed to mean? He seems to be still be claiming that there are too many fakers out there claiming to have PTSD but doesn't seem to have an explanation as to why he is now running "One Mind"

Challenge #1: Lack of PTS and TBI diagnostics and treatments
Did you know over 60% percent of the most seriously wounded soldiers from our recent wars suffer from TBI and post-traumatic stress (PTS)? And in a given year, more than 2.5 million Americans experience traumatic brain injury (TBI)?

Despite these startling numbers, the diagnosis and treatment of brain disease remains an inexact science, ruled by subjectivity and opinion. In fact, the current “test” for PTS consists of answering 20 questions asked by a mental health professional.

To make matters worse, there is not only far less large-scale research on brain illness and injury than other major diseases, but also the majority of research that is being conducted, the data and results are not being shared with other brain illness and injury researchers.

Shallow, antiquated diagnostics mixed with small-scaled, siloed research has resulted in no progress in developing treatments and cures for brain disease. The very fact that not much has changed in diagnostics and treatment for PTS and TBI since WWII is proof that we still have a long way to go.

How can he acknowledge research done going back to WWII and then deny the fact that most with PTSD DO NOT SEEK HELP OR COMPENSATION? Why doesn't he seem to understand that there has never been more grassroot efforts to get the word out about PTSD to veterans? Can he even explain why so many veterans going back to a time in our history when the damage done by combat was being reported with absolutely no treatment or compensation whatsoever? What about during the Civil War when they were being shot as cowards?

Ok, back that bus up for a second. PTSD has been studied since WWI but also showed up in ancient writings on war within the Bible and stories on fighters like Achilies
Deuteronomy 20:1-9 New International Version (NIV) Going to War

20 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3 He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. 4 For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

5 The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. 6 Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. 7 Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.” 8 Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.” 9 When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.

“But no man's a hero to himself.”
― Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes

Ok, here is the rest of what Chiarelli had to say,

On several occasions, Jin has met with Peter Chiarelli, a blunt-spoken retired general who once led efforts to reduce the Army’s alarming suicide rate. Now he is chief executive of One Mind, a nonprofit dedicated in part to finding ways to treat what Chiarelli calls post-traumatic stress. (To avoid the stigma attached to mental illness, the group does not use the word “disorder” in referring to PTSD.)

He and Jin say the condition, to be better treated, must be better diagnosed. They are highly critical of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ current self-reporting method, a 20-item questionnaire that asks vets to recount, for example, how much were they bothered — on a scale of 1 to 5 — in the past month by “repeated, disturbing, and unwanted memories of the stressful experience.”

“You can’t prove it one way or another,” says Chiarelli, who was a top commander in Iraq. “I’m here to tell you that 50 percent who say they have PTS — or some percentage of people — do not have PTS.”

As disability certifications for PTSD have become easier to obtain in recent years — VA eased documentation requirements in 2010 — and the number of claimants has soared, the agency has been grappling with false benefit claims. While the total number of vets who suffer from the disorder is uncertain — many avoid reporting it — PTSD has clearly climbed in the aftermath of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The disorder is the third-most-common service-connected disability in the past 13 years, VA says. Nearly 250,000 recent veterans have received a disability designation of that sort.

What the article does not address is a stunning number of Vietnam veterans sought help for PTSD in those years simply because they were finally convinced that help was available for them.

“He knew what the wind was doing to them, where it was taking them, to all the secret places that were never so secret again in life.”

― Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes

In the past 18 months, 148,000 Vietnam veterans have gone to VA centers reporting symptoms of PTSD "30 years after the war," said Brig. Gen. Michael S. Tucker, deputy commanding general of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He recently visited El Paso.

That report came out in October of 2007. The other report coming out in 2007 that was also important is there veterans committing suicide was considered an epidemic and even back then this was reported,

It found that veterans were more than twice as likely to commit suicide in 2005 than non-vets. (Veterans committed suicide at the rate of between 18.7 to 20.8 per 100,000, compared to other Americans, who did so at the rate of 8.9 per 100,000.)

As you can see, with all the money spent and bills congress already passed, nothing has changed. The rate is still double the civilian rate.

The other thing that far too many fail to acknowledge is that civilians have PTSD and TBI too however, even though veterans are only 7% of that population they account for double the rate of civilians committing suicide. Yes, that is a very important fact omitted from people trying to push an agenda. The other factor is that the majority veterans committing suicide are 50 and over.

“Acting without knowing takes you right off the cliff.” ― Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes

On TBI this is from the CDC

In 2010, about 2.5 million emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, or deaths were associated with TBI—either alone or in combination with other injuries—in the United States.

The 2.5 million is gathered from emergency room visits and not diagnoses. This is a good article on TBI and concussions
This is from the Brain Trauma Foundation

Every year, approximately 52,000 deaths occur from traumatic brain injury.

An estimated 1.5 million head injuries occur every year in the United States emergency rooms. a

An estimated 1.6 million to 3.8 million sports-related TBIs occur each year.

At least 5.3 million Americans, 2% of the U.S. population, currently live with disabilities resulting from TBI.

Notice how they separated sports away from the other figure?

I am one of them. I had TBI before they called it that way, way back in the days when they were not sure what else a head injury could do. After I got out of the hospital at the ripe age of 4, soon my parents figured out my brain wasn't the same. I developed a speech impediment and spelling issues. (If you read Wounded Times often, I'm sure you noticed that) I also had memory problems. I had to learn how to push things I didn't need to remember anymore out of my head. I still have to do it but somehow manage to remember things these folks can't.

There you have the essence of what has actually been going on. I don't know about where Chiarelli sits but it stinks to high heaven from here!

“So in sum, what are we? We are the creatures that know and know too much. That leaves us with such a burden again we have a choice, to laugh or cry. No other animal does either. We do, depending on the season and the need.”

― Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes

Defective weapon used by military kills hundreds a year

Defective weapon used by military kills hundreds a year
Wounded Times Blog
Kathie Costos
June 18, 2013

There is a weapon the Department of Defense has spent billions a year on. This weapon is more deadly to our own troops but no one seems care. The weapon is not used to kill opponents on the battlefield. The billions of dollars spent have been making contractors and stock holders very wealthy. It has also been filling graves.

What has the Department of Defense been claiming they have been doing on addressing military suicides? They have over 900 prevention programs but suicides have gone up every year. They claim they have addressed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and getting rid of the stigma with "resilience training" but the troops are still reluctant to even ask for help as the number of servicemen and women needing help rises.

What they claim has not been based on reality. This is their reality.

“The issue with PTSD is that so many Marines and sailors are not diagnosed or seeking treatment,” said Jim Askins, the department head of health promotions. “Marine Corps public health estimates that 10 to 30-percent are undiagnosed from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Marine and Navy team go to combat against PTSD
By THOMAS BRENNAN
Daily News Staff
Published: Tuesday, June 18, 2013

The awareness campaign, held on Friday at the Marine Corps Exchange aboard Camp Lejeune, brought together the Health Promotion and Wellness department from the Naval Hospital and the Marine Corps Community Services resiliency education department to de-stigmatize and raise awareness about a disorder that affects many service members. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that can occur after you have gone through an extreme emotional trauma that involved the threat of injury or death.

Their reality is they are still not seeking help because of what else is happening. Other than honorable discharges are still happening when most of them want to be treated so they can do the job they always wanted to do. They don't want to leave the military. Given the option to heal and stay in, most want to stay because they never thought of doing anything else but serving their country.

Their reality is, they are still receiving medications that do more harm than good. How many warnings on drugs do they need to read before they refuse to take them? How many times are they punished for what the medications are doing to them? How many warnings did the DOD need to hear before they acknowledged they are not monitoring the medicated?

Their reality is their families are falling apart because of what PTSD is doing to them but the military blames suicides on relationship problems while failing to acknowledge the simple fact that a third of the troops with PTSD do not seek help. No diagnosis, no tie to PTSD. They must be able to live with that fact and satisfied to use that excuse.

Their reality is, they are trained to not seek help. They are told they can train their brains to be resilient. If they end up with problems, the message prevents them from seeking help. Would you knowing there was the threat of being discharged with an "other than honorable" hanging over your head for the rest of your life when all you want to do is stay in? The message of telling them what they can do if they train right actually puts the blame on their shoulders. To them it means they are mentally weak and didn't train right.

How many times do you have to read on Facebook that another service member has taken their own life before you get clued in on what is behind it? How many times do you have to read about another OEF or OIF veteran taking their own life back home before you give a damn about what is going on? How many times do you have to read about what the reality is for the men and women risking their lives before you understand this weapon is the most deadly of all?

A more complete tally of U.S. military suicides last year: 524
LA TImes
By Alan Zarembo
June 17, 2013

In data compiled by the Defense Department on military suicides, perhaps the most surprising statistic is that between 2008 and 2011, 52% of service members who took their own lives had never been deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq.

That figure, which challenges the popular belief that exposure to war is the primary driver of a surge in suicides, became the basis for an L.A. Times story Sunday.

But another statistic in the story also deserves attention: 524. That is the number of suicides in the military last year. To those who have followed the issue, it may seem like a misprint. The Pentagon recently announced that the 2012 total was 349.

The Defense Department, however, has only tracked suicides of military personnel who were on active duty when they died.

For a more complete tally, The Times went directly to the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines for the data. That added three suicides to the Defense Department's figure, bringing the active-duty count for 2012 to 352. More significantly, it added 172 suicides of reservists and National Guard members who were on inactive status at the time of their deaths.

Little is known about the suicides of service members not on active duty. Military researchers say they are compiling and analyzing the demographics of the victims, their deployment histories and other characteristics. The Defense Department has yet to publish their suicide rate.

If they are discharged from the military, they are no longer a "military problem" and become a VA problem.

Military veteran who shot up mother's home goes to trial next week
Mother claims son, Adan Castaneda, has PTSD
Published On: Jun 17 2013

COMAL COUNTY, Texas

Maria Anna Esparza still can't believe her 27-year-old Marine sniper son, Adan Castaneda, shot at her home while she and her husband slept.

She said Adan had been home from Iraq for two years when the shooting happened.

"He was a scout sniper for the U.S. Marines, so if he wanted us dead, he knew where we slept, he knew exactly where we were in the house, but that was not his intention," said Esparza.

According to police, Adan used his own .45 caliber gun and fired off 23 shots. They said he started shooting at the top of the house and worked his way down.

Castaneda has been diagnosed with Posttraumatic stress disorder. Next week he will stand trial for attempted murder of his mother and stepfather after shooting up their house back in May 2011.
“They had to watch beheadings on their computers daily as part of their training,” said Esparza.

The reality for families is also much different than what we have been told.

Suicide rates among military family members are on the rise
Washington Times
Life Lines by Susan L Ruth
June 17, 2013

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2013—The last report tracking military suicides showed that there is no decrease in the rate of deaths by service members own hands and now there are other military suicides that are gaining attention.

Experts are reporting that they are seeing an increase in the number of military family members killing themselves as well, although the exact rates are not known because these cases are not being tracked at this time.

The growing rate of suicides among the military has been a problem that the chain of command has not been able to get under control since it came to light about 11 years ago.

This is why I wrote THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR. I listened to what the reality is for them and their families. The military however has not been listening to them. They are pushing the program that actually prevents them from understanding what PTSD is and seeking help to heal.

One last thing to leave you with is the fact that none of this is new. It has been researched for the last 40 years. Would you find it acceptable to spend billions a year on a weapon that was doing more harm than good for our own forces? UPDATE here is another report of not seeking help within the military.

‘You Have To Get Help’ — Vets Share Stories Of Living With PTSD
CBS News
June 18, 2013
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Jason Probst described what it was like last year in January when he was driving a vehicle down a street and hit a road side bomb in Afghanistan.

“It was like driving and hitting a wall,” he said.

The cab filled with smoke. He hit his head, causing a brain injury. He now deals with the aftermath of war in many ways."

Loud noises, and sudden noises startle me…and sleeping at night is different,” he said.

His mother, Deb Probst, remembers hearing news of the explosion and fearing the worst.

“So he had angels with him that day,” she said.

Probst has reached out for help at the VA but says there’s still a stigma associated with mental illnesses, like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

PTSD Army Veteran's Standoff Puts DOD on Trial in Oklahoma

There is a veteran facing charges after a hostage standoff. He was in the Army for 10 years and came home with PTSD. His family tried to get help for him and they grieve for the way things turned out. When he stands trial, the DOD yet again goes on trial for failing another soldier. #Powerpointcommandoes think they are doing something other than boring the hell out of the troops?

New Details Surrounding Norman Hostage Suspect's Defense
NEWS 9
BY JOLEEN CHANEY
Nov 14, 2014

CLEVELAND COUNTY, Oklahoma - The man who held three people hostage this week inside a Norman office building is being held without bond. His post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) took center stage in his defense. Friday afternoon Devin Rogers went before a judge for the criminal side of his behavior, but because of his mental condition, four attorneys have volunteered to represent him free of charge.

“As a group I think we decided to do it, because the story is just so heartbreaking,” attorney David Smith said.

For the innocent people involved as well as the guilty, but in no way does Devin Rogers' PTSD diagnosis mean he is off the hook for what he did.

“This is absolutely a cry for help, and that's what you heard from Jennifer who was in the room with him,” attorney Sam Talley said.
read more here

This is why we are seeing so many coming home and not getting the help they need to heal. They didn't get it while they were still in to begin with.
Army Vet: Protocol On Soldiers' Mental Health A Factor In Norman Standoff
NEWS 9
BY JUSTIN DOUGHERTY
Nov 18, 2014

The Army also stated it's focused on, "Placement of (behavioral health) providers within Patient Centered Medical Homes, and a network of Embedded Behavioral Health clinics."

Davis just considers those outlets lengthy PowerPoint presentations.

"As a soldier, I can tell you 99% of them classes turn into a big joke," said Davis.

CLEVELAND COUNTY, Oklahoma - The suspect in the Norman hostage standoff, Devin Rogers, is accused of holding three people hostage for over four hours. But we now know Rogers is also a 10-year Army veteran who has been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); a mental health issue the Army calls an important factor in the case.

Rogers' family and friends have repeatedly told News 9 he hasn't received the help he needs. So we contacted the Army for a list of mental health services. However, one veteran News 9 spoke to called that list a joke.

"If you become a big problem we'll just let you miss a few things, count you AWOL and kick you out of the Army," said retired Army Sgt. Dave Davis.

An improvised explosive device (IED) has Davis physically confined to a wheelchair. But it's what he considers the Army's "lack of personal relationship" with its soldiers that has Davis frustrated.

"You can't throw money at a problem and expect it to go anyway," said Davis.

Davis served for 19 years and retired in October. In addition to his physical ailments, Davis has also been diagnosed with PTSD, TBI, or traumatic brain injury, and other mental health issues.
read more here

Canada: PTSD on trial

Ottawa officer convicted of theft reinstated to force
Andew Seymour, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Wednesday, April 23, 2008
OTTAWA - An Ottawa police officer suffering from post traumatic stress disorder who was ordered dismissed after being criminally convicted of theft and uttering threats has been reinstated to the force.

In what could be a precedent-setting decision, the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services overturned a hearing officer's ruling and determined that Const. Alec Moraru's conduct when he stole several items from a Barrhaven Loblaws before threatening a security guard should not cost him his job.

In their 16-page decision, the civilian commission concluded that Terence Kelly, the hearing officer who ordered Const. Moraru dismissed, committed an "error in principle" when he "failed to consider whether PTSD was a mitigating factor in this isolated incident."

"It is our view that the hearing officer cannot first accept the PTSD diagnosis, and then reject the adverse effects of the PTSD on (Const. Moraru's) behaviour," the commission ruled.

Both Const. Moraru's criminal trial and disciplinary hearing heard evidence from several doctors that the officer was suffering symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder when he stole cheese, chocolate bars and shaving cream from the grocery store in December 2004.

According to evidence presented during trial and the disciplinary hearing, the post traumatic stress was linked to the on-duty suicide of an officer Const. Moraru was coaching. Const. Moraru testified he was later forced to accept responsibility for the officer's death.

The commission also found the hearing officer failed to consider the constable's guilty plea to the Police Service Act charge as a mitigating factor when he ordered Const. Moraru dismissed.

The commission instead ordered that Const. Moraru be demoted from his current position as a first-class constable to a third-class constable.

He must also attend monthly therapy sessions, with the police service receiving written reports from his psychologist relating to his ability to safely perform his duties as a police officer every three months.

If he refuses to participate in the therapy sessions, Ottawa police will be entitled to prosecute him under the Police Services Act and seek his dismissal from the force.

While recognizing that Const. Moraru's misconduct was "serious", the commission felt that the crimes represented a "singularly uncharacteristic act of frailty undertaken while he was suffering from an illness developed during the course of his employment."

© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/features/
blotter/story.html?id=ec14c042-c08d-48c3-852f-8e4c1d0f405a&k=7733

Wounded Times research proves there is nothing new on PTSD

Wounded Times research proves there is nothing new on PTSD
Wounded Times Blog
Kathie Costos
June 20, 2013

I think you'll file this under "does not play well with others" because my patience is gone. It left the building a couple of years ago. When I read crap from someone who should know better as a "professional" it makes my head hurt as much as it makes my heart break.

I was reading, yet again, another article by Elspeth Cameron Ritchie getting something else wrong and ignoring the obvious. Among some things in her latest article she writes "What is exciting, for me, are the new treatments for PTSD." Sounds as if there is something new being done. Yet when she lists them there is nothing new about any of them and cause me to leave this comment.

"Despite the monthly exhortations, most service members do not seek help for PTSD or the related illness of depression. They fear that treatment will end their careers." shows what the DOD is doing is not working. When will they change what does not work? We've been studying combat and PTSD for 40 years!

Take a look at some facts Ritchie missed.
Acupuncture clinical trial 2006
PTSD Service Dogs clinical trails 2011
Virtual Reality, 2009
Nothing new has come out in years. As for "blocking" they have been also trying that for years and most experts have scoffed at it. In 2008, scientist discovered the cells that are "the glue" that keeps bad memories stuck in the brain.

Also in 2008, they tried to figure out who would end up with PTSD.

Then Neuroscientists at The University of Queensland have discovered a new way to explain how emotional events can sometimes lead to disturbing long term memories also in 2008.

Then the Army and the National Institute of Mental Health began a five-year, $50 million research program into the factors behind soldier suicides and how to prevent them. Lot of good that did since last year was the highest suicides tied to military service.

I can go on and on linking to reports found right here on Wounded Times proving there is nothing "new" or exciting. Until people in position of authority and given a huge audience like TIME awaken to the fact they lack the ability to honestly research what they are attempting to write about, nothing will ever change. Wounded Times does not have an archive of over 19,000 reports for nothing. All the reports were available online for anyone really interested in discovering what has really been going on.

Some Hope Amid the Calendar’s Grim Pages
TIME Battleland
By Elspeth Cameron Ritchie
June 19, 2013

June is PTSD Awareness Month.

May was Mental Health Awareness Month.

September will be Suicide Awareness Month. More public-service announcements about “seeking help is a sign of strength.”

Despite the monthly exhortations, most service members do not seek help for PTSD or the related illness of depression. They fear that treatment will end their careers.

A plethora of efforts has not reduced the suicide rate in service members. So what is newsworthy or new?

One organization, Honor for All, is hosting an event June 22 here in Washington, D.C. General Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, is scheduled to speak.

While I look forward to such events, I am cynical about whether speeches or awareness can reduce PTSD and suicide. What is exciting, for me, are the new treatments for PTSD.

We have written about Complementary and Alternative Medicine in a series in Psychiatric Annals, a leading purveyor of continuing medical education for psychiatrists.

For the last six months, we have discussed and debated acupuncture, stellate ganglion block, virtual reality, yoga, and other as-yet unproven treatments as possible therapies. They offer promising avenues for research, hope for the afflicted, and a promise from mental-health professionals that we will not quit until we can better help those with PTSD.
read more here

Read THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR and discover what else they have not been telling you.
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book May 14, 2013
By James G. Young
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you have not read anything Kathie has written you are at a major disadvantage when discussing PTSD. She has a first hand account of dealing with this herself as the wife of a Nam vet, but then devoting her life to understanding the dilemma and helping others understand it as well. I consider Kathie a highly knowledgable contact with regards to this subject and have consulted her many times.

Kathie truely has the inside pulse in understanding the issues here, the denial of our govenment and the failures of the administrations to come to grips with how best to deal with it. Our govenment is trying to find a series of magic bullets (medications) that some practioners hand out like candy because they have nothing else to give and lack the compassion needed.

Straighforward, if you haven't read this book or spoken to Kathie you are at a major disadvantage. Great Book Kathie, well written and researched, should be made mandatory reading for anyone dealing with or discussing PTSD.

PTSD on trial again

"There are two loaded guns in the house. I'm afraid he might use them"

Story Published: Apr 11, 2008 at 5:36 PM PDT
By KVAL Web Staff Video A woman shot and killed by her husband had sought a restraining order against him a month before her death.

Tyke Supanchick admits killing his estranged wife, Kelly Supanchick, two days before Christmas 2005. The Junction City man and former Marine is on trial for the murder of his estranged wife.

Kelly Supanchick filed for a restraining order a month before the shooting. Court records show she claimed Tyke Supanchick threatened to beat her or slit her throat.

"There are two loaded guns in the house, and I'm afraid he might use them," she wrote, according to court records.

Defense attorney Randall Vogt said Tyke Supanchick fired the shots that killed his wife when police attempted to break down the door of their home.

"There is no dispute about the fact that he fired a shotgun and that killed his wife," Vogt said. "This is not a who done it. It's a question of intent."

Vogt said Supanchick was recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome, or PTSD.

PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event in which grave physical harm occured or was threatened.

Vogt said Supanchick was in Washington, D.C., during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the anthrax scare a month later. Vogt said the defendant was in an accident while in the Marines.

The trial resumes Tuesday, April 15, at 9:30 a.m.
http://www.kval.com/news/17566589.html

I can hear Bush's supporters now blaming the media yet again for reporting on this. What I cannot hear them say is that something has to be done to take care of these wounded men and women as soon as possible and maybe, just maybe, some more lives will be saved.

While not all PTSD veterans will react with violence, some do. I cannot tell all spouses to stay in a marriage if there is violence of threats of violence. You must take care of your own safety and the safety of your children. This does include calling in law enforcement. As with this case, we can see it did little good to call the authorities and seek a restraining order. Right then and there he should have been forced to be evaluated simply because he was dangerous to others and himself. Why was he allowed to be considered reasonable enough that he would honor a restraining order? This was a stupid move but this happens all the time.

When a person is dangerous to someone they are supposed to love, they are dangerous to others as well. In the case of a veteran, a trained killer, as soon as they are deemed enough of a threat that there has to be a restraining order against them, they should immediately be taken for a psychological evaluation. You cannot force someone to get help but you cannot expect the general public to put up with dangerous people freely able to commit murder when there were already warnings about what they may do.

I believe in the right to privacy but I also believe in the right to be safe in your own home. How many times is this going to happen before different rules are in place to make sure that they are evaluated and if found dangerous, treated as such?