PTSD Prevention

Exposure Therapy May Prove Effective in Preventing PTSD

According to a randomized controlled trial conducted at the University of New South Wales, instructing recent trauma survivors to relive the troubling event (exposure-based therapy) may prevent survivors with acute stress disorder from developing post-traumatic stress disorder.

While evidence exists that some clinicians do not use this type of therapy because it causes distress for recent trauma survivors, exposure therapy may in fact be more effective than cognitive restructuring (a PTSD-prevention therapy that focuses on changing maladaptive thoughts and responses to a traumatic event) because it eases the anxiety associated with the traumatic memory and corrects the belief that the memory must be avoided, in addition to encouraging self-control through managing the exposure exercise.

Read the full article at:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/jaaj-etm052908.php

Give service members and their loved ones an empowering tool for managing PTSD successfully

Photographic illustrations throughout!
Managing PTSD And Other Combat-Related Stress Reactions; A Service Member & Family Handbook
This interactive handbook provides encouragement, information, strategies, and opportunities to craft a personalized management plan that includes family, friends, and other sources of support.

Topics covered include:

• combat-related stress disorders and symptoms of PTSD
• associated mental health issues, such as anger management and depression
• therapies and medications that support good mental health.
  

Service members find exercises that help them get in touch with their feelings, chart medications, and develop strong self-help skills.
32 pages, 8 1/2" x 11"
Photo illus. handbook (EM93834)K

For pricing and to place a secure online order, go to:
http://go.channing-bete.com/wa/detailForItem?p=16&itemno=EM93834

 

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National Guard Overhaul

National Guard Doing a Better Job of Balancing Responsibilities Overseas with Traditional Emergency-Response Duties at Home

An overhaul launched in 2003 by Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, commander of the National Guard, includes a "top to bottom rebalancing" of the wartime deployment burden on states. In the overall effort to ensure successful response to domestic crises during extended out-of-country deployment of Guard members, improvements include better inter-state communication among Guard units at home, and earlier notice for troops of impending foreign assignments to allow soldiers, families, and state emergency managers more time to prepare for their departure.

"We've made great strides," said Emanuel Pacheco, a spokesman with the National Guard Bureau, while acknowledging that there's still work to be done.

Read the full article at:
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=312142

Help National Guard families create a personalized plan for easing the stress of deployment --

Photographic illustrations throughout!
Mission: Readiness; A Personal And Family Guide For National Guard And Reserve Members
An efficient way to provide information that Guard families need before, during, and after deployment for successful transitions. Includes research-based information on financial and legal matters, and the personal and emotional issues that arise between family members.

"Hands-on" interactive exercises include worksheets, checklists, and places to record important phone numbers.
36 pages, 8 1/2" x 11"
Photo illus. handbook (EM99257)H

For pricing and to place a secure online order, go to:
http://go.channing-bete.com/wa/detailForItem?p=16&itemno=EM99257

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Families & Deployment

"Website for Heroes" Helps Close the Distance between Deployed Troops and Their Families

"Websites for Heroes" provides free, personalized, and password-protected Web sites to help military families stay close through shared thoughts, experiences, and special family events. Sites offer unlimited photo uploads, streamed videos, a message board, and a kids' calendar. Terry Gniffke, one of the founders of "Websites for Heroes," notes, "Deployments are hard on families. When you're away and you're in harm's way... you miss home, and the greatest thing is to be connected in some way."

"Websites for Heroes" family sites are sponsored by individuals and corporations and are available at no cost to military families and troops. Currently there are 1,200 active sites.

Read the full article at:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50102

Promote enduring relationships with items specially created for military families' daily use:
http://channing-bete.com/military/awareness-products.html

 

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Mental Health Services

Civilian Mental Health Workers Provide Services to Troops

This summer, mental health practitioners will provide additional resources on military bases throughout the United States for military members and their families seeking treatment. The move is the result of a partnership between the Defense Department and the Department of Health and Human Services in response to the military's increased need for mental health professionals due to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, "The right counselor is worth his or her weight in gold. It's hard to find that hand-in-glove fit. So, people need choices [in mental health professionals], and you need a lot of people to provide those choices."

Read the full article at:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50101

Find reliable, reader-friendly materials for supporting good mental health at:
http://channing-bete.com/public-health/mental-health.html?src=em

 

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Suicide Prevention

Soldier-Suicides: Prevention Now the Mission of Multiple Programs

In response to the challenge of preventing soldier-suicide, the Army is instituting multiple suicide-prevention programs that focus on a variety of soldier-suicide motivators and prevention strategies.

The main motive for suicide is related to breakup of relationships, noted Army Col. Elspeth C. Ritchie, director of the Army Surgeon General's office for behavioral health. "We know that the multiple deployments and the length of the deployment are major stressors back at home... We're doing a lot of mitigating strategies [for suicide] prevention and resilience, and we hope that those would help." Prevention strategies include training soldiers to cope with psychological challenges as well as physical ones, and educating soldiers and leaders about symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and mild brain injury.

Read the full article at:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50041

Find supportive, research-based resources for preventing depression and suicide:
http://go.channing-bete.com/wa/promotion?p=16&code=Q3000

 

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