Protecting veterans: Officials explore treatment court
By ANNE JUNGEN ajungen@lacrossetribune.com
His uncharacteristic behavior started with personal isolation that soon escalated to drunken driving and armed robbery.
Post-traumatic stress disorder after a tour in Iraq in late 2004 had festered inside the young war veteran, undiagnosed, his family unaware.
“We had no idea at that time what PTSD even was,” said the soldier’s Coon Valley father, who asked to remain anonymous.
His son, a former U.S. Army Calvary Scout, eventually was admitted to the Tomah VA Hospital and returned home in January 2006.
So did his PTSD.
Kitchen knives and aluminum foil began to vanish. He reeked of crack or methamphetamine.
“He looked terrible. He wouldn’t talk,” his father said. “That’s when I thought I would find him dead.”
He left home and stopped reporting to his probation officer. His mother immediately thought of him when she heard about a 2008 armed robbery at a North Side La Crosse tavern.
“I never thought in a million years I would do something like this,” the soldier later would tell the judge at sentencing.
go here for more
Protecting veterans: Officials explore treatment court
Monday, May 4, 2009
Dad's mental health affects children too
Dad's mental health affects children too
By Amy Norton
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Fathers' mental health problems may take a toll on their children's psychological well-being, particularly that of their sons, a new research review suggests.
The review, published online by The Lancet medical journal, found that when fathers had psychiatric conditions like major depression, drug or alcohol addiction, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), their children were at increased risk of mental health problems.
Boys seemed particularly vulnerable to the effects of their fathers' depression, the study found. Sons of alcoholic fathers were at increased risk of serious behavioral problems and substance abuse.
The findings may not sound surprising, but they shed light on the ways in which fathers' mental well-being affects their children -- a subject that has been much less studied than the role of mothers' mental health, according to the researchers.
"I think the main message is that mental health problems affecting fathers are important, partly because of the impact on the men themselves, but also because they can impact on families, including children," said lead researcher Dr. Paul Ramchandani, of the University of Oxford in the UK.
Men are generally less likely than women to seek help for their mental health problems, Ramchandani told Reuters Health, but it is important that they do so.
go here for more
Dad mental health affects children too
By Amy Norton
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Fathers' mental health problems may take a toll on their children's psychological well-being, particularly that of their sons, a new research review suggests.
The review, published online by The Lancet medical journal, found that when fathers had psychiatric conditions like major depression, drug or alcohol addiction, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), their children were at increased risk of mental health problems.
Boys seemed particularly vulnerable to the effects of their fathers' depression, the study found. Sons of alcoholic fathers were at increased risk of serious behavioral problems and substance abuse.
The findings may not sound surprising, but they shed light on the ways in which fathers' mental well-being affects their children -- a subject that has been much less studied than the role of mothers' mental health, according to the researchers.
"I think the main message is that mental health problems affecting fathers are important, partly because of the impact on the men themselves, but also because they can impact on families, including children," said lead researcher Dr. Paul Ramchandani, of the University of Oxford in the UK.
Men are generally less likely than women to seek help for their mental health problems, Ramchandani told Reuters Health, but it is important that they do so.
go here for more
Dad mental health affects children too
Camp Lejeune Veteran Marines Subject to Cancer
This has been an ongoing story but you won't hear it covered on CNN or any other news station. You would think they would want to report on something like this considering the Marines and their families are not aware of what they were exposed to.
Camp Lejeune Marines Subject to Cancer - Report Reversed
Drinking the water takes on a new meaning - especially if you were stationed in North Carolina.
If you or someone you know was stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC some 12 to 15 years ago - this may be of interest.
In a recent release, the administration admits that:
Up to a million people could have been exposed to toxins that seeped from a neighboring dry cleaner and industrial activity at Lejeune.
The toxins seeped into the water supply and the report that minimized the cancer threat for adults has now been discredited, according to federal officials.
go here for more
Camp Lejeune Marines Subject to Cancer
Florida man kills wife, 2 kids, himself, officials say
Florida man kills wife, 2 kids, himself, officials say
Story Highlights
Bodies of gunman, wife, 2 children found at Lakeland, Florida, home, officials say
Boy, 13, was chased down street, fired at, but got away unharmed, officials say
Gunman used a high-powered rifle with scope, authorities say
(CNN) -- A man shot and killed his wife and two of their children and then killed himself in central Florida on Sunday night, authorities said.
Troy Ryan Bellar, 34, used a high-powered rifle with a scope to shoot his 31-year-old wife, Wendy, when she tried to leave their home, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Two of the couple's children -- 5-month-old Zack and 7-year-old Ryan -- also were killed, but a 13-year-old got away, with the father chasing and firing after him, officials said.
go here for more
Florida man kills wife, 2 kids, himself, officials say
Story Highlights
Bodies of gunman, wife, 2 children found at Lakeland, Florida, home, officials say
Boy, 13, was chased down street, fired at, but got away unharmed, officials say
Gunman used a high-powered rifle with scope, authorities say
(CNN) -- A man shot and killed his wife and two of their children and then killed himself in central Florida on Sunday night, authorities said.
Troy Ryan Bellar, 34, used a high-powered rifle with a scope to shoot his 31-year-old wife, Wendy, when she tried to leave their home, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Two of the couple's children -- 5-month-old Zack and 7-year-old Ryan -- also were killed, but a 13-year-old got away, with the father chasing and firing after him, officials said.
go here for more
Florida man kills wife, 2 kids, himself, officials say
Vermont town rallies around wounded soldier
Here's a story that will warm your heart. Now this is how you really support the troops!
Vt. town rallies around wounded soldier
By Wilson Ring - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday May 4, 2009 9:57:56 EDT
HYDE PARK, Vt. — Greg Barnes is reluctant to say publicly what else he might need help with to make his home ready to accommodate the needs of his quadriplegic-soldier son because he’ll probably find it outside his front door.
Carpenters are donating their time, electricians have offered to do the wiring and concrete contractors have chipped in to build a foundation on what will become a handicapped accessible apartment for 21-year-old Andrew Parker that is attached to his parents’ home.
There have been car washes, a spaghetti dinner, bottle drivers and poker tournaments. A service group has donated a used handicapped accessible van; an architect designed, for free, the project to the specifications of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and a Web site has been set up to raise money and spread the word.
“I know there’s a lot of people who would like to help,” said Barnes, who didn’t ask for help after hearing his son had been wounded by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan the day after Thanksgiving.
“I wasn’t expecting anything. So it’s kind of hard to take. I’m not used to that,” said Barnes, who had begun planning to convert his garage into an apartment for his son before the community got involved. “I’m not a person who’d expect anything from somebody else or even ask for it.”
go here for more
Vt. town rallies around wounded soldier
Group helps soldiers when the military can’t
Group helps soldiers when the military can’t
SCOTT FONTAINE; The News Tribune • Published May 04, 2009
Tacoma – Service members contact Trisha Pearce in need of counseling. Spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends, relatives are welcome to get in touch with her, too. They may feel burnt out and worn down by the experience of fighting a war – or of loving someone who has.
But Pearce and her Puget Sound area organization are completely outside the military chain of command.
“By the time people call us,” the psychiatric nurse said, “they’ve already tried to get help elsewhere. Or they just want to be away from the whole military system. Whatever their reason, we get them help.”
It’s the work of Soldiers Project NW, a 14-month-old program that aims to help veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who, for whatever reason, aren’t comfortable using the numerous mental-health programs the military medical system provides.
Pearce asks for basic information and links the caller with a nearby therapist, who offers free sessions.
The military isn’t notified.
Pearce, who has 30 years experience in the mental health field, has been the project’s director for the past six months. She organizes meetings every few weeks to draw support from therapists across the area.
“I just think that we, as a community, need to get behind the military and help them out,” she said.
Forty-two therapists have signed up in Western Washington, but many are in the Seattle area. Pearce is from Stanwood.
More providers are needed in the South Sound area, Pearce said, where they can help service members from Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base. There are currently 11 providers in the South Sound.
Some patients have met regularly with their therapist for more than a year, while others show up for only one session. It’s not uncommon for a person to skip the first appointment with no explanation.
Only licensed therapists can offer services through the program, and meetings take place at a neutral site away from the service member’s installation.
go here for more
Group helps soldiers when the military cannot
SCOTT FONTAINE; The News Tribune • Published May 04, 2009
Tacoma – Service members contact Trisha Pearce in need of counseling. Spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends, relatives are welcome to get in touch with her, too. They may feel burnt out and worn down by the experience of fighting a war – or of loving someone who has.
But Pearce and her Puget Sound area organization are completely outside the military chain of command.
“By the time people call us,” the psychiatric nurse said, “they’ve already tried to get help elsewhere. Or they just want to be away from the whole military system. Whatever their reason, we get them help.”
It’s the work of Soldiers Project NW, a 14-month-old program that aims to help veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who, for whatever reason, aren’t comfortable using the numerous mental-health programs the military medical system provides.
Pearce asks for basic information and links the caller with a nearby therapist, who offers free sessions.
The military isn’t notified.
Pearce, who has 30 years experience in the mental health field, has been the project’s director for the past six months. She organizes meetings every few weeks to draw support from therapists across the area.
“I just think that we, as a community, need to get behind the military and help them out,” she said.
Forty-two therapists have signed up in Western Washington, but many are in the Seattle area. Pearce is from Stanwood.
More providers are needed in the South Sound area, Pearce said, where they can help service members from Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base. There are currently 11 providers in the South Sound.
Some patients have met regularly with their therapist for more than a year, while others show up for only one session. It’s not uncommon for a person to skip the first appointment with no explanation.
Only licensed therapists can offer services through the program, and meetings take place at a neutral site away from the service member’s installation.
go here for more
Group helps soldiers when the military cannot
National Guard increases casualty notification training
Guard increases casualty notification training
By David Mercer - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday May 3, 2009 17:41:59 EDT
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A few miles outside a small town in Illinois’ farm country, the chaplain driving Capt. Jon Cape to one of the toughest assignments of the young officer’s career pulled the car over to pray.
Cape made a simple request of God: To grant him courage as he knocked on the door of the military wife who was about to learn she was a new widow.
She answered the door. And he began, “The Secretary of the Army has asked me to express his deepest regret. ...”
“She didn’t believe it; she was kind of in shock, didn’t think it was happening to her,” said Cape, an Iraq war veteran and Illinois National Guardsman. “Of course, (she was) going through the denial phase — No this isn’t happening. Are you sure, are you positive...?”
Cape, 28, learned about such reactions months before in a training session.
That training is part of the National Guard’s new push in at least a dozen states to prepare more soldiers to deliver the news that a soldier died and to help the family in the months afterward. More soldiers are being killed with the heavy demand on guard units fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. And there are plans to send more troops to increasingly dangerous Afghanistan this year.
Since combat began in Afghanistan in late 2001, 85 National Guard soldiers have been killed there, including 12 from Illinois. All but one were members of the state’s 33rd Infantry Brigade, whose nearly 3,000 soldiers have been in Afghanistan since last fall. In Iraq, 436 National Guard soldiers have died since that war began in 2003, 15 from Illinois.
The casualty figures are far higher than anything the guard is used to dealing with.
go here for more
Guard increases casualty notification training
By David Mercer - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday May 3, 2009 17:41:59 EDT
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A few miles outside a small town in Illinois’ farm country, the chaplain driving Capt. Jon Cape to one of the toughest assignments of the young officer’s career pulled the car over to pray.
Cape made a simple request of God: To grant him courage as he knocked on the door of the military wife who was about to learn she was a new widow.
She answered the door. And he began, “The Secretary of the Army has asked me to express his deepest regret. ...”
“She didn’t believe it; she was kind of in shock, didn’t think it was happening to her,” said Cape, an Iraq war veteran and Illinois National Guardsman. “Of course, (she was) going through the denial phase — No this isn’t happening. Are you sure, are you positive...?”
Cape, 28, learned about such reactions months before in a training session.
That training is part of the National Guard’s new push in at least a dozen states to prepare more soldiers to deliver the news that a soldier died and to help the family in the months afterward. More soldiers are being killed with the heavy demand on guard units fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. And there are plans to send more troops to increasingly dangerous Afghanistan this year.
Since combat began in Afghanistan in late 2001, 85 National Guard soldiers have been killed there, including 12 from Illinois. All but one were members of the state’s 33rd Infantry Brigade, whose nearly 3,000 soldiers have been in Afghanistan since last fall. In Iraq, 436 National Guard soldiers have died since that war began in 2003, 15 from Illinois.
The casualty figures are far higher than anything the guard is used to dealing with.
go here for more
Guard increases casualty notification training
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Cowboys scout paralyzed after canopy collapse
Cowboys scout paralyzed after canopy collapse
Story Highlights
Rich Behm one of three Cowboys staffers seriously hurt Saturday
Behm's spinal cord severed by a fractured vertebrae, paralyzing him from waist down
Canopy over Dallas Cowboys' practice facility collapsed during thunderstorm
Team photographers were up in framework of structure, rode it down, witness says
A Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant suffered a broken back and has been permanently paralyzed after the collapse of the team's practice canopy during a heavy thunderstorm, the Cowboys announced Sunday. full story
Story Highlights
Rich Behm one of three Cowboys staffers seriously hurt Saturday
Behm's spinal cord severed by a fractured vertebrae, paralyzing him from waist down
Canopy over Dallas Cowboys' practice facility collapsed during thunderstorm
Team photographers were up in framework of structure, rode it down, witness says
A Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant suffered a broken back and has been permanently paralyzed after the collapse of the team's practice canopy during a heavy thunderstorm, the Cowboys announced Sunday. full story
Radio Host Erika Roman Killed In Crash, Boat Owner Sought
Radio Host Erika Roman Killed In Crash, Boat Owner Sought
Sunday, May 03, 2009 7:56:00 AM
FORT PIERCE -- The Florida Highway Patrol is looking for the owner of a boat who caused a fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike Friday.
Radio personality Erika Roman, known as “Your Chula” on Orlando's Power 95.3, swerved to avoid a boat lounge chair in the road, and wound up upside down in a canal.
About a dozen Good Samaritans tried to help her, but say they had trouble breaking the driver's window, and unbuckling her seat belt.
Troopers say right now the owner of the boat will be charged with failing to secure a load. They also say it would be up to the State Attorney's Office to pursue additional charges.
go here for more
Radio Host Erika Roman Killed In Crash, Boat Owner Sought
Sunday, May 03, 2009 7:56:00 AM
FORT PIERCE -- The Florida Highway Patrol is looking for the owner of a boat who caused a fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike Friday.
Radio personality Erika Roman, known as “Your Chula” on Orlando's Power 95.3, swerved to avoid a boat lounge chair in the road, and wound up upside down in a canal.
About a dozen Good Samaritans tried to help her, but say they had trouble breaking the driver's window, and unbuckling her seat belt.
Troopers say right now the owner of the boat will be charged with failing to secure a load. They also say it would be up to the State Attorney's Office to pursue additional charges.
go here for more
Radio Host Erika Roman Killed In Crash, Boat Owner Sought
Gathering gives military families support through grief
Gathering gives military families support through grief
May 2, 2009 - 4:39 PM
R. SCOTT RAPPOLD
THE GAZETTE
Robert Pirelli's pain was like a cancer, eating away at him, sapping his will to live.
Through a national nonprofit, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, he has found the answers he needed about the death of his son, Staff Sgt. Robert R. Pirelli, 29, a Fort Carson Green Beret killed in Iraq in August 2007.
He's also found the comfort of knowing he is not the only one hurting.
"When you come to TAPS, people say, ‘I know what you're going through,' and they really do know what you're going through," Pirelli said.
He came to Fort Carson from Boston this weekend for a TAPS grief seminar, one of 150 widows and mothers, fathers and brothers, fellow soldiers and friends, who gathered to remember loved ones lost to war and to find support in each others' stories.
"It lets the families know their loved ones' sacrifice is remembered and their life made a difference," said Bonnie Carroll, who founded TAPS two years after the death of her husband, Brig. Gen. Tom Carroll, in a 1992 plane crash.
At the time, there was no support system in place for survivors to keep in touch with other military families and people who served with their lost loved ones. She and the families of other people lost in the crash got together on their own.
Ronnie Barrett came from Johnson City, Tenn, for the seminar. His son, Sgt. Chad Barrett, with Fort Carson's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, committed suicide in Iraq in February 2008.
May 2, 2009 - 4:39 PM
R. SCOTT RAPPOLD
THE GAZETTE
Robert Pirelli's pain was like a cancer, eating away at him, sapping his will to live.
Through a national nonprofit, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, he has found the answers he needed about the death of his son, Staff Sgt. Robert R. Pirelli, 29, a Fort Carson Green Beret killed in Iraq in August 2007.
He's also found the comfort of knowing he is not the only one hurting.
"When you come to TAPS, people say, ‘I know what you're going through,' and they really do know what you're going through," Pirelli said.
He came to Fort Carson from Boston this weekend for a TAPS grief seminar, one of 150 widows and mothers, fathers and brothers, fellow soldiers and friends, who gathered to remember loved ones lost to war and to find support in each others' stories.
"It lets the families know their loved ones' sacrifice is remembered and their life made a difference," said Bonnie Carroll, who founded TAPS two years after the death of her husband, Brig. Gen. Tom Carroll, in a 1992 plane crash.
At the time, there was no support system in place for survivors to keep in touch with other military families and people who served with their lost loved ones. She and the families of other people lost in the crash got together on their own.
Ronnie Barrett came from Johnson City, Tenn, for the seminar. His son, Sgt. Chad Barrett, with Fort Carson's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, committed suicide in Iraq in February 2008.
For the father, coming here has been cathartic.
"I didn't realize until I got here there would be so many people with the same story I've got," he said.go here for more
http://www.gazette.com/articles/pirelli-52877-through-robert.html
Stephon Marbury blames PTSD from dad's death for woes with Knicks
Stephon Marbury blames 'posttraumatic stress' from dad's death for woes with Knicks
BY Samuel Goldsmith
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Sunday, May 3rd 2009, 1:18 AM
Stephon Marbury has finally revealed the cause of his tumultuous tenure with the Knicks - posttraumatic stress disorder following his father's sudden death.
The embattled former All-Star told his sob story to ESPN last week, saying it wasn't just clashes with team coaches that plagued his time in New York - it was the same clinically diagnosed illness that haunts many Iraq war vets.
"I had posttraumatic stress from different things going on," Marbury told ESPN. "\[My psychiatrist\] told me, 'You're a mess, basically.' "
"Everything that I went through this \[season\], it was tough," he said.
But less than three months after leaving New York for the Boston Celtics, Marbury said many of his demons are behind him.
"To end up in this situation, it's like you go from hell to being in heaven," he said.
Marbury discussed at length the despair he suffered after his father died during a Dec 2, 2007, game between the Knicks and the Phoenix Suns.
"I basically lost my mind when my father died," he said. "I was in shock. Going to a psychiatrist was the best thing I ever did."
Read more: "Stephon Marbury blames 'posttraumatic stress' from dad's death for woes with Knicks" Stephon Marbury
BY Samuel Goldsmith
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Sunday, May 3rd 2009, 1:18 AM
Stephon Marbury has finally revealed the cause of his tumultuous tenure with the Knicks - posttraumatic stress disorder following his father's sudden death.
The embattled former All-Star told his sob story to ESPN last week, saying it wasn't just clashes with team coaches that plagued his time in New York - it was the same clinically diagnosed illness that haunts many Iraq war vets.
"I had posttraumatic stress from different things going on," Marbury told ESPN. "\[My psychiatrist\] told me, 'You're a mess, basically.' "
"Everything that I went through this \[season\], it was tough," he said.
But less than three months after leaving New York for the Boston Celtics, Marbury said many of his demons are behind him.
"To end up in this situation, it's like you go from hell to being in heaven," he said.
Marbury discussed at length the despair he suffered after his father died during a Dec 2, 2007, game between the Knicks and the Phoenix Suns.
"I basically lost my mind when my father died," he said. "I was in shock. Going to a psychiatrist was the best thing I ever did."
Read more: "Stephon Marbury blames 'posttraumatic stress' from dad's death for woes with Knicks" Stephon Marbury
PTSD:Mental health professionals need to listen
by
Chaplain Kathie
When a choir sits listening to the sermon each and every week, they are often surprised when they hear something new but often they hear something they had not thought of before. The saying "you're preaching to the choir" comes from this experience.
When it comes to mental health professionals it's time they began actually listening to the choir and stopped being offended by what they could learn if they got their egos out of the way. Advocates are not your enemy. We cannot diagnose conditions and we cannot treat psychological illnesses. We can however assist you in doing both. Most of us live with what you are trying to take care of.
When it comes to PTSD you can study all of it until you believe there is nothing more you need to know but unless you are living with it on a daily basis, there is much you will never learn in a book.
Often veterans are stunned by what I have to tell them and they will respond with "My psychologist never told me that." leaving me to respond with "They don't know because they don't live with it." but personally I want to add in "they will not listen either."
What you miss is that most of the veterans with PTSD were always sensitive people, caring about others more than themselves. They walk away from horrific events in combat taking away the pain of others along with their own. You need to treat them for the pain they feel inside but first you need to understand them and what made them different. This answers their most usual question of "Why me?"
What you fail to point out to them is that they showed great bravery when they kept on doing their duty, facing more and more traumatic events after they were wounded by PTSD and kept on doing it until they and their friends were out of danger or back home and then collapsed. They feel as if they are weak or cowards because the military tells them they can prepare their minds to be "tough" enough to take it.
What you fail to address is their soul. PTSD did not attack their mind first. It attacked their soul. It is an emotional wound setting off changes to the rest of the warrior. You need to find out if they believe God is judging them or they believe God abandoned them. This weighs heavily on their lives and cannot be dismissed. When they survive the horrors of war wondering where God was is often eating away at them and research has shown the faith of the "patient" does have a lot to do with the healing of that patient. Reconnecting them with their faith and God offers one more thing science cannot deliver on and that is hope. The loss of hope is one of the primary reasons many veterans commit suicide.
What also fail to understand is often they are not addicted to the chemicals alcohol and drugs offer but are seeking to kill off feelings, good and bad, they do not want to feel. There are times however you are dealing with both PTSD and addiction. If you misdiagnose either, the treatment will not work. If they have both then both need to be addressed. Ask if there is a history in the family of addiction and then take it from there. Do not assume it is an "either or" when it very well could be both.
What many of you are doing is talking to the family members to have a better understanding of what is going on. They know the history of your patient but they will not often know how things connect. Listen to key words like "suddenly changed" and then find out what happened before they "changed" to know what you are dealing with. Remember that family members are not mental health experts and will not think of things you need to know unless you ask them and listen carefully to what they do say. You also need to acknowledge that often the veteran will hide facts you need to know because they are either in denial or afraid to admit it. The spouse often can supply what they are not telling you.
In the process you also need to inform the spouse of things they can avoid to keep confrontation at a minimum. Often family troubles escalate because of their reactions to the veteran. If they do not understand what PTSD is and what it does, they will react as if they are dealing with the same person instead of a changed person. They react out of frustration and anger instead of reacting with knowledge. All the knowledge you give them will not only help them cope but will assist in treating the veteran as well.
Advocates can help you to help them. We are not in competition with you and we are not trying to take away your jobs. We're trying to make you better at doing your jobs so that you send back our warriors to us in the best possible condition so that we can live with them as well as possible.
And yes, you guessed right. I had another argument with another "expert" pointing out that they have a "Masters degree" but I pointed out I live with what they had to go to college to learn. Big difference.
Chaplain Kathie
When a choir sits listening to the sermon each and every week, they are often surprised when they hear something new but often they hear something they had not thought of before. The saying "you're preaching to the choir" comes from this experience.
When it comes to mental health professionals it's time they began actually listening to the choir and stopped being offended by what they could learn if they got their egos out of the way. Advocates are not your enemy. We cannot diagnose conditions and we cannot treat psychological illnesses. We can however assist you in doing both. Most of us live with what you are trying to take care of.
When it comes to PTSD you can study all of it until you believe there is nothing more you need to know but unless you are living with it on a daily basis, there is much you will never learn in a book.
Often veterans are stunned by what I have to tell them and they will respond with "My psychologist never told me that." leaving me to respond with "They don't know because they don't live with it." but personally I want to add in "they will not listen either."
What you miss is that most of the veterans with PTSD were always sensitive people, caring about others more than themselves. They walk away from horrific events in combat taking away the pain of others along with their own. You need to treat them for the pain they feel inside but first you need to understand them and what made them different. This answers their most usual question of "Why me?"
What you fail to point out to them is that they showed great bravery when they kept on doing their duty, facing more and more traumatic events after they were wounded by PTSD and kept on doing it until they and their friends were out of danger or back home and then collapsed. They feel as if they are weak or cowards because the military tells them they can prepare their minds to be "tough" enough to take it.
What you fail to address is their soul. PTSD did not attack their mind first. It attacked their soul. It is an emotional wound setting off changes to the rest of the warrior. You need to find out if they believe God is judging them or they believe God abandoned them. This weighs heavily on their lives and cannot be dismissed. When they survive the horrors of war wondering where God was is often eating away at them and research has shown the faith of the "patient" does have a lot to do with the healing of that patient. Reconnecting them with their faith and God offers one more thing science cannot deliver on and that is hope. The loss of hope is one of the primary reasons many veterans commit suicide.
What also fail to understand is often they are not addicted to the chemicals alcohol and drugs offer but are seeking to kill off feelings, good and bad, they do not want to feel. There are times however you are dealing with both PTSD and addiction. If you misdiagnose either, the treatment will not work. If they have both then both need to be addressed. Ask if there is a history in the family of addiction and then take it from there. Do not assume it is an "either or" when it very well could be both.
What many of you are doing is talking to the family members to have a better understanding of what is going on. They know the history of your patient but they will not often know how things connect. Listen to key words like "suddenly changed" and then find out what happened before they "changed" to know what you are dealing with. Remember that family members are not mental health experts and will not think of things you need to know unless you ask them and listen carefully to what they do say. You also need to acknowledge that often the veteran will hide facts you need to know because they are either in denial or afraid to admit it. The spouse often can supply what they are not telling you.
In the process you also need to inform the spouse of things they can avoid to keep confrontation at a minimum. Often family troubles escalate because of their reactions to the veteran. If they do not understand what PTSD is and what it does, they will react as if they are dealing with the same person instead of a changed person. They react out of frustration and anger instead of reacting with knowledge. All the knowledge you give them will not only help them cope but will assist in treating the veteran as well.
Advocates can help you to help them. We are not in competition with you and we are not trying to take away your jobs. We're trying to make you better at doing your jobs so that you send back our warriors to us in the best possible condition so that we can live with them as well as possible.
And yes, you guessed right. I had another argument with another "expert" pointing out that they have a "Masters degree" but I pointed out I live with what they had to go to college to learn. Big difference.
Borrowed Trauma
Borrowed Trauma
Why we relive our patient’s pain & how to avoid it
By Judith Acosta, LISW, CHT
May 2009 JEMS Vol. 34 No. 5
2009 May 1
A patient I had been treating for trauma for about six months sat before me, his hands moving restlessly as he talked, his legs spasmodically bouncing up and down. It had been more than 15 years since J.J. had been a young firefighter, and he was recalling one of his first calls as if it happened yesterday. His anxiety and discomfort were palpable.
He had been barely 20, inexperienced, anxious to do everything right on one of his first major calls. It was a two-story clapboard house with old wiring and pre-code construction. The crew knew an older woman was inside but didn’t know where. The neighbors had seen her before the engines pulled up: She was leaning out of her upstairs bedroom in a blue robe, waving her arms frantically, screaming, but then she disappeared suddenly.
J.J. was one of the first inside. Moving through the still-rising smoke with a limited range of vision through his mask, he walked through the hallway slowly, his eyes focused on the ceiling overhead, a part of which had already fallen. There were piles of smoldering beams, ash and the remains of a table. He stepped to his left around the banister and ... crunch .
He looked down and nearly vomited.
"Don’t move!" his chief, who had been keeping an eye on the rookie, yelled from down the hall. J.J. froze until he got the sign that he should lift his foot back up—slowly—and then step to the right. The chief lifted a charred two-by-four to reveal a small piece of blue robe. It was the only color left in the room besides the yellow stripe along their coats. She had tried to get downstairs herself when the ceiling collapsed on top of her.
As J.J. spoke, I found my posture mirroring his own, my heart rate slightly elevated, and my hands and feet fidgeting more than usual. By the end of the story, I felt as if I had stepped on the woman myself.
I sat still, facing him, and took a deep breath. He had stopped fidgeting. Once again, I saw the pain in his eyes and considered the importance of what had happened. It was the same process that storytellers and listeners have experienced for centuries. The words we use—even in the most ordinary conversations—move us. Not just metaphorically. Literally . The stories we hear don’t just make us frown; they don’t just elicit a good laugh from time to time. They impact us physically. They touch us where we feel it most deeply, sometimes without our permission. It was his trauma, but for a few moments I had all the symptoms of having undergone it myself.
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Borrowed Trauma
Why we relive our patient’s pain & how to avoid it
By Judith Acosta, LISW, CHT
May 2009 JEMS Vol. 34 No. 5
2009 May 1
A patient I had been treating for trauma for about six months sat before me, his hands moving restlessly as he talked, his legs spasmodically bouncing up and down. It had been more than 15 years since J.J. had been a young firefighter, and he was recalling one of his first calls as if it happened yesterday. His anxiety and discomfort were palpable.
He had been barely 20, inexperienced, anxious to do everything right on one of his first major calls. It was a two-story clapboard house with old wiring and pre-code construction. The crew knew an older woman was inside but didn’t know where. The neighbors had seen her before the engines pulled up: She was leaning out of her upstairs bedroom in a blue robe, waving her arms frantically, screaming, but then she disappeared suddenly.
J.J. was one of the first inside. Moving through the still-rising smoke with a limited range of vision through his mask, he walked through the hallway slowly, his eyes focused on the ceiling overhead, a part of which had already fallen. There were piles of smoldering beams, ash and the remains of a table. He stepped to his left around the banister and ... crunch .
He looked down and nearly vomited.
"Don’t move!" his chief, who had been keeping an eye on the rookie, yelled from down the hall. J.J. froze until he got the sign that he should lift his foot back up—slowly—and then step to the right. The chief lifted a charred two-by-four to reveal a small piece of blue robe. It was the only color left in the room besides the yellow stripe along their coats. She had tried to get downstairs herself when the ceiling collapsed on top of her.
As J.J. spoke, I found my posture mirroring his own, my heart rate slightly elevated, and my hands and feet fidgeting more than usual. By the end of the story, I felt as if I had stepped on the woman myself.
I sat still, facing him, and took a deep breath. He had stopped fidgeting. Once again, I saw the pain in his eyes and considered the importance of what had happened. It was the same process that storytellers and listeners have experienced for centuries. The words we use—even in the most ordinary conversations—move us. Not just metaphorically. Literally . The stories we hear don’t just make us frown; they don’t just elicit a good laugh from time to time. They impact us physically. They touch us where we feel it most deeply, sometimes without our permission. It was his trauma, but for a few moments I had all the symptoms of having undergone it myself.
go here for more
Borrowed Trauma
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Ill soldier from Texas dies at Walter Reed
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Christopher D. Loza, 24, of Abilene, Texas, died Apr. 10, 2009, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., of a non-combat related illness after becoming ill 17 March in Radwaniyah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division, Waco, Texas.
12 injured in Dallas Cowboys practice arena collapse
12 injured in Dallas Cowboys practice arena collapse
Story Highlights
NEW: None of the injuries appears to be life-threatening, says county EMS chief
About 70 people were inside the facility when it fell, fire official says
Video footage showed roof caving in during storm in Irving, Texas
About 27 Dallas Cowboys rookies were practicing at the time, team's owner says
(CNN) -- An air-supported roof over the Dallas Cowboys' practice field collapsed during a heavy thunderstorm Saturday afternoon, leaving 12 people injured, authorities said.
A photojournalist from CNN affiliate WFAA captured the collapse of the practice facility on Saturday.
About 70 people, including more than two dozen of the team's rookies, were in the facility when it was blown down shortly before 3:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET), team officials said.
Two or three suffered serious injuries, but none were believed to be in life-threatening condition Saturday night, said Dr. Paul Pepe, Dallas County's emergency medical services chief.
go here for more
12 injured in Dallas Cowboys practice arena collapse
Story Highlights
NEW: None of the injuries appears to be life-threatening, says county EMS chief
About 70 people were inside the facility when it fell, fire official says
Video footage showed roof caving in during storm in Irving, Texas
About 27 Dallas Cowboys rookies were practicing at the time, team's owner says
(CNN) -- An air-supported roof over the Dallas Cowboys' practice field collapsed during a heavy thunderstorm Saturday afternoon, leaving 12 people injured, authorities said.
A photojournalist from CNN affiliate WFAA captured the collapse of the practice facility on Saturday.
About 70 people, including more than two dozen of the team's rookies, were in the facility when it was blown down shortly before 3:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET), team officials said.
Two or three suffered serious injuries, but none were believed to be in life-threatening condition Saturday night, said Dr. Paul Pepe, Dallas County's emergency medical services chief.
go here for more
12 injured in Dallas Cowboys practice arena collapse
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