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NEWS ABOUT: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

See Something Traumatic? Don't Sleep Right Away

You might lock in those nasty memories: Study

(Newser) - Snoozing after experiencing a traumatic event might forge the negative memories and emotions in the brain, a new study suggests. UMass researchers exposed 100 adults to unsettling images and then allowed half to sleep and kept the other half awake. Twelve hours later, the subjects who stayed up displayed a... More »

Mt. Rainier Suspect Drowned: Autopsy

Plus, troubling details about suspected gunman Benjamin Colton Barnes

(Newser) - The Iraq war veteran suspected of killing a Mount Rainier ranger died from drowning, with hypothermia contributing to his death, his autopsy concludes. Benjamin Colton Barnes was found "face down, totally in the water" of a creek, wearing just jeans, a T-shirt, and one shoe, according to a sheriff'... More »

9/11 Shows Psychology's Shortcomings

Report gives humbling assessment of therapists' work

(Newser) - Psychologists rushing to Ground Zero on September 11 might have done more harm than good. Experts overestimated how many people—including firefighters and police who responded—would experience stress for a prolonged period following the disaster, according to a report coming out in American Psychologist. Many also might have been... More »

Gitmo Doctors Covered Up Torture: Study

Doctors didn't inquire, despite evidence of physical, mental abuse

(Newser) - The Defense Department doctors and psychologists who tended to Guantanamo Bay detainees were complicit in covering up their torture, according to a new study released yesterday. Medical records and legal files reveal that the doctors saw evidence of bone fractures, contusions, and lacerations; heard stories of rape; and saw signs... More »

Wounded in Myriad Ways, Veterans Still Being Ignored

Op-ed: Story is told in rising suicides and shattered lives

(Newser) - This is how too many of our military veterans are being repaid for their service: In the form of rising suicide and divorces rates, addictions, and domestic violence cases, writes retired Army officer Bob Kinder in the Boston Globe . They're returning from war ill and being deprived of the care... More »

Mental Disorders Rise Sharply Among Soldiers

1 in 9 medical discharges attributed to PTSD, related ailments

(Newser) - News that the Pentagon is making it easier for soldiers to qualify for disability payments because of post-traumatic stress disorder comes at a good time: The number of cases is rising steadily, reports USA Today . Army stats show that the number of soldiers who left the service solely because of... More »

Obama: 'Solemn' Duty to Help Vets With PTSD

White House plans to make getting benefits easier

(AP) - With the military fighting two wars, President Obama said today the country has a "solemn responsibility" to ensure that veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder get the help they need. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is to announce new regulations Monday intended to make it easier for veterans with PTSD... More »

Rules Eased for Vet PTSD Disability

Conservatives wary of $5 billion plan

(Newser) - A new rule will make it easier for American veterans to get disability payments for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD . The $5 billion plan erases the need for warriors to document the specific horror, be it bomb blast or raid, that made them sick. That's especially good news for those... More »

Mental, Not Physical, Illness Hospitalizes Most US Troops

As mental illness increases, cost of care skyrockets

(Newser) - For the first time on record, more US troops were hospitalized for mental illness last year than for any other reason, according to new data from the Pentagon. The year saw 17,538 mental health hospitalizations, which narrowly topped childbirth (17,354) and far outstripped injuries or battle wounds (11,... More »

VA Doctors Can't Prescribe Medical Pot

New Mexico allows it for PTSD, but veterans can't get it there

(AP) - New Mexico is the only state that explicitly allows people with PTSD to smoke pot under its medical marijuana law—and that's created a conundrum for the VA, which does not allow its doctors to prescribe pot because the drug is illegal in the eyes of the federal government. If... More »

Blame 'Vicarious' PTSD

Trauma is infectious, Essig writes, and therapists can catch it

(Newser) - When Todd Essig learned the Fort Hood shooter “was an Army psychiatrist who treats post traumatic stress disorder, himself on the cusp of deployment, I thought, ‘I’m not surprised.’” Why? Because there is a documented transfer of trauma disorders from sufferers to caregivers, dubbed “... More »

Long Buried, PTSD Emerges in WWII Veterans

1 in 20 surviving vets affected

(Newser) - For many World War II veterans, decades-old memories of war aren’t as deeply buried as they once believed. The veterans administration estimates that 5% of the 2.5 million US World War II vets suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Older vets came of age... More »

Beta Blocker 'Erases' Bad Memories

(Newser) - A drug usually prescribed for high blood pressure can relieve people of painful memories, the Telegraph reports. Taking the beta blocker drug propranolol, subjects in a Dutch study experienced less fear when reminded of a shocking memory. Researchers said millions of people suffering from emotional disorders or "self-perpetuating memories"... More »

Army Suicides Hit Record High

Army expected to announce new study of post-combat stress

(Newser) - A record 128 US soldiers committed suicide last year, and an additional 15 are suspected of taking their own lives, CNN reports. The previous record was set in 2007. In response to the latest figures, the Army is expected to announce new studies of post-combat stress and why its suicide-prevention... More »

ICUs Try to Get Patients Out of Bed

Mobile, lightly sedated patients fare better, study finds

(Newser) - Doctors are finding that ICU patients who are woken every day and even get up and walk around do better than those who remain heavily sedated, the New York Times reports. A recent study showed that just 5 days on a ventilator left some patients barely able to move. Problems... More »

Pentagon Nixes Purple Heart for Mental Wounds

Post-traumatic stress is not a wound, officials declare

(Newser) - US troops who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder from their tours in Iraq and Afghanistan will not receive the purple heart given to soldiers wounded in combat, reports CNN. The Pentagon announcement came after weeks of review. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates 11% of Iraq veterans and 20% of those... More »

Joint Chiefs Head Calls for Wider PTSD Screening

Post Traumatic Stress a 'bigger problem than we realize,' says chief

(Newser) - Every member of the US military should undergo screening for post-traumatic stress disorder upon returning from combat in Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has recommended. As many as 1 of every 5 returning combat vets suffers from mental health problems, USA Today reports. "I think... More »

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