Lifetime Traumatic Stress Linked to Heightened Inflammation
By TRACI PEDERSEN
Associate News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on March 31, 2012
The more traumatic stress a person is exposed to over the course of a lifetime, the greater the chances the person has elevated levels of inflammatory markers in his or her bloodstream, say researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) and the University of California, San Francisco.
The study is the first to examine the association between cumulative traumatic stress and inflammation.
For the study, researchers looked at 979 patients (ages 45 to 90) with stable heart disease and analyzed their exposures to 18 different types of traumatic events, all of which involved either experiencing or watching a direct threat to life or physical integrity.
Next, researchers measured several clinical markers of inflammation that circulate in the bloodstream, and found a direct correlation between lifetime stress exposure and inflammation levels.
“This may be significant for people with cardiovascular disease, because we know that heart disease patients with higher levels of inflammation tend to have worse outcomes,” said lead author Aoife O’Donovan, a fellow in psychiatry at UCSF.
Five years later, researchers measured the surviving patients’ inflammation markers again, and discovered that the participants who had originally reported the highest levels of trauma still had the highest levels of inflammation.
read more here
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Run Raises Awareness For Soldier Suicide
Run Raises Awareness For Soldier Suicide
Apr 01, 2012
By Molly Miles, Reporter
SLEEPY EYE, MN - Over the past five years, 24 soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard have committed suicide and the suicide rate among U.S. soldiers continues to rise. Suicide is sobering topic that people often run away from. But Saturday in Sleepy Eye people were running for it. Running for hope and a better future for the men and women that serve our country.
Jean Clark whose son is in the army says, "Show our support, and show our country that we support our troops." Running to raise awareness for the psychological wounds of war. New Ulm VFW Commander Wil Burdorf says, "We have to make people aware of the suicide rate of the veterans and this is one way we could make it more visible." Running because there are as many as 18 suicides per day among all U.S. veterans, and a veteran is 12 times more likely to die by his or her own hand after leaving the military than to be killed in action while on active duty. read more here
Apr 01, 2012
By Molly Miles, Reporter
SLEEPY EYE, MN - Over the past five years, 24 soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard have committed suicide and the suicide rate among U.S. soldiers continues to rise. Suicide is sobering topic that people often run away from. But Saturday in Sleepy Eye people were running for it. Running for hope and a better future for the men and women that serve our country.
Jean Clark whose son is in the army says, "Show our support, and show our country that we support our troops." Running to raise awareness for the psychological wounds of war. New Ulm VFW Commander Wil Burdorf says, "We have to make people aware of the suicide rate of the veterans and this is one way we could make it more visible." Running because there are as many as 18 suicides per day among all U.S. veterans, and a veteran is 12 times more likely to die by his or her own hand after leaving the military than to be killed in action while on active duty. read more here
Aid efforts continue for injured Marine
Chestatee security guard asks for support
By Jeff Gill
POSTED: April 1, 2012
While a security guard at Chestatee High School in northwest Hall, Rudy Guerrero took time out to encourage some students to join the Marines. Sean Adams, who wowed recruiters with his 100 pushups, followed through on his dream. And like Guerrero, an ex-Marine who served in Vietnam, Adams went straight to a war zone — for him, it was Afghanistan. While there, he met disaster.
While leading a patrol with other Marines on Feb. 10, the 2011 Chestatee graduate was injured by a roadside bomb blast and suffered life-altering injuries from the resulting blast. He is now a double amputee. “I feel bad because he’s a young guy, I knew him, I talked him into going into the Marine Corps,” Guerrero said. “He already had it planned out, but still I feel bad. And he’s a Marine, and we have to help him out.” Guerrero is trying to place donation cans in public locations, as a member of the Marine Corps League, Upper Chattahoochee Detachment.
Lending support Family members of Sean Adams have created a website and a Facebook page to provide updates on his condition. Email inquiries can be sent to pfcseanadams@yahoo.com.read more here
Helpers sought to mentor Marines
Military briefs: Helpers sought to mentor Marines
9:00 PM, Mar. 31, 2012
Written by Denise Goolsby
The Desert Sun
The Desert Cities Mitchell Paige Medal of Honor Chapter, 1st Marine Division Association is calling for volunteers to mentor Marines of the Wounded Warrior Detachment at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms who are leaving active duty. The mentors will work on a one-on-one basis with Marines to help them transition to civilian life.
According to Lt. Col. Ted Wong, commanding officer of the detachment, the average age of a Twentynine Palms wounded warrior is 22. “Most joined the Marine Corps after high school graduation and were looking at the Marines as their career in life,” said chapter member Jim Sullivan, one of the program organizers. “Due to wounds and injuries, they now have to enter civilian life and need some help in making decisions as to going on to college, trade schools, or finding a job.” For more information or to volunteer, call (760) 901-5494.
9:00 PM, Mar. 31, 2012
Written by Denise Goolsby
The Desert Sun
The Desert Cities Mitchell Paige Medal of Honor Chapter, 1st Marine Division Association is calling for volunteers to mentor Marines of the Wounded Warrior Detachment at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms who are leaving active duty. The mentors will work on a one-on-one basis with Marines to help them transition to civilian life.
According to Lt. Col. Ted Wong, commanding officer of the detachment, the average age of a Twentynine Palms wounded warrior is 22. “Most joined the Marine Corps after high school graduation and were looking at the Marines as their career in life,” said chapter member Jim Sullivan, one of the program organizers. “Due to wounds and injuries, they now have to enter civilian life and need some help in making decisions as to going on to college, trade schools, or finding a job.” For more information or to volunteer, call (760) 901-5494.
Veterans treating veterans; a growing niche
Veterans treating veterans; a growing niche
Now that the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down, this country can expect a tremendous influx of returning veterans. With this surge comes a greater need to treat the invisible wounds of war, namely posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and a host of other psychological issues.
A mental health crisis is likely in the next five to 10 years if appropriate attention is not given to war veterans and their families, according to Nicholas Covino, Ph.D., president of the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. “The general idea that those with military trauma will be served by the VA (Veteran’s Administration) is not completely accurate. Some will, but only about 25 percent of the time,” he says. “Most of the military don’t go to the VA, especially those in the National Guard. They’ll continue to get health care from traditional sources, like hospitals and HMOs.”
To adequately serve the needs of these men and women, practitioners need to step outside their comfort zones and gain some understanding of the sequelae of combat, military culture and adjustment issues families face before, during and after deployment, Covino says. “We have to create responsibility among mental health professionals to do the right thing by the veterans.
A review of the literature suggests straightforward, common sense approaches that can and should be done by any mental health professional to address the problems of separation and reintegration,” he says, noting that families potentially face years of adjustment difficulties after a military parent returns from overseas. “Our profession has a responsibility to revise and rework our practices to learn about military culture and equip ourselves with techniques to deal with veterans and families presenting with complaints. This matches what we’ve learned in graduate school,” Covino says. Unresponsiveness because of the perception of inadequate skill sets will create social problems such as homelessness, divorce and alcoholism, in the future, he says. read more here
Now that the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down, this country can expect a tremendous influx of returning veterans. With this surge comes a greater need to treat the invisible wounds of war, namely posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and a host of other psychological issues.
A mental health crisis is likely in the next five to 10 years if appropriate attention is not given to war veterans and their families, according to Nicholas Covino, Ph.D., president of the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. “The general idea that those with military trauma will be served by the VA (Veteran’s Administration) is not completely accurate. Some will, but only about 25 percent of the time,” he says. “Most of the military don’t go to the VA, especially those in the National Guard. They’ll continue to get health care from traditional sources, like hospitals and HMOs.”
To adequately serve the needs of these men and women, practitioners need to step outside their comfort zones and gain some understanding of the sequelae of combat, military culture and adjustment issues families face before, during and after deployment, Covino says. “We have to create responsibility among mental health professionals to do the right thing by the veterans.
A review of the literature suggests straightforward, common sense approaches that can and should be done by any mental health professional to address the problems of separation and reintegration,” he says, noting that families potentially face years of adjustment difficulties after a military parent returns from overseas. “Our profession has a responsibility to revise and rework our practices to learn about military culture and equip ourselves with techniques to deal with veterans and families presenting with complaints. This matches what we’ve learned in graduate school,” Covino says. Unresponsiveness because of the perception of inadequate skill sets will create social problems such as homelessness, divorce and alcoholism, in the future, he says. read more here
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