By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
July 3, 2008 - TriWest and the Montana Army and Air National Guard recently launched a pilot program to help Guard members and their families deal with post-deployment stress. TriWest administers the military's Tricare health care program in 21 western states.
The program gives servicemembers at armories in Helena and Great Falls, Mont., face-to-face and confidential opportunities with TriWest mental health providers to discuss post-deployment stress issues. The providers also participate in monthly unit-level health training.
Post-traumatic stress is a disorder more and more common in servicemembers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. In April 2006, the Montana National Guard formed a task force to evaluate the care and needs of Guardsmen returning from deployments, said Army Capt. Jeremy Hedges, manager of the post-deployment health reassessment program for the Montana National Guard.
The task force made 14 recommendations to change existing post-deployment programs, including mandated enrollment in the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system, mental health-focused training, and the TriWest pilot program, according to a progress report issued in May.
The task force found that the Montana Guard was following all of the state's guidelines, but that guidelines fell short of taking care of returned veterans, Hedges said.
Cooperation with TriWest, the state of Montana and the National Guard led to the commitment to implement all 14 recommendations. Hedges said officials hope the changes and the TriWest program will aid in providing immediate service and early detection.
"This program has the potential to save lives," he said. "If a Guardsman has thoughts of suicide or is in a risk category, these professionals will be able to diagnose and talk to him, and immediate referrals will be made for the Guardsman to seek further treatment."
The program began June 1 and is scheduled to continue through the end of the year. The task force will track progress and feedback, with hopes to secure a long-term commitment from TriWest and other sources, Hedges said.
Showing posts with label post-traumatic stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label post-traumatic stress. Show all posts
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Friday, February 08, 2008
Army Continues to Treat Blast-Related Injuries
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 7, 2008 - The Army is aggressively diagnosing and treating soldiers who suffer concussive injuries and stress related to blast attacks, the Army's surgeon general said today. Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Eric B. Schoomaker, Army surgeon general and commander of U.S. Army Medical Command, told reporters during a media roundtable at the Pentagon today that issues stemming from such combat conditions are a "great concern" to soldiers, their families and the American public.
"We know the importance of prevention of these injuries and illnesses; we know the importance of timely diagnosis and treatment of both concussive and post-traumatic stress symptoms," Schoomaker said. "And we are aggressively executing programs that are designed to educate, to prevent, to screen and to provide the appropriate care in a timely fashion for all of these deployment-related stresses and injuries."
Concussive injuries and their psychological responses are "not new concepts to us," the general said. He noted that concussions occur domestically -- on America's highways and sports fields -- as often as they do in combat, and that referring to them as the war's "signature injury" is a mischaracterization.
Schoomaker said he doesn't believe the war on terror has produced any one signature injury. But he believes there is a signature weapon used by insurgents: a blast.
"It's being used very effectively in combat," he said. "It blinds our soldiers in some cases if they're unprotected. It deafens them. If it defeats our protective equipment, it may cause a mild concussive injury all the way to a very severe penetrating head injury."
The general said military health care professionals must identify and treat blast-related injuries as soon as possible after the event.
"Doing an effective screening as close as possible to the actual event and then making a decision whether that soldier should take a knee and step out of the battle so that they can recover ... is our most important goal," he said
Schoomaker said the Army created initiatives to increase the rapidity and efficiency of treatment, including arming medics to allow them to more safely treat wounded troops in combat zones, providing servicemembers with improved first aid kits, and training troops in medical techniques. In addition, in 2007 the Army instituted an 800,000-strong chain-teaching initiative -- from the most seasoned commander down to the most junior soldiers -- on concussive injuries and post-traumatic stress.
Army health officials are looking into the role context plays in a concussive injury and its aftermath, Schoomaker said, which may be a more significant factor than originally thought. To illustrate the importance of context, the general made an analogy to a quarterback who is hit hard in the course of a football game. Regaining consciousness while surrounded by thousands of sympathetic fans is a vastly different context from awakening in a combat zone, surrounded by the wounded bodies of your battle buddies, he said.
While screenings performed immediately after returning from deployment might be successful in identifying physical symptoms, the process might allow gaps in detecting latent symptoms related to context. Because certain emotional symptoms related to concussive injuries or combat stress emerge later than their physical counterparts, Schoomaker said, he advocates an additional screening three to six months after deployments. Identifying the root of emotional symptoms may help affected servicemembers avoid family, social, alcohol or other problems resulting from a lack of proper diagnosis and treatment.
Army Col. (Dr.) Loree Sutton said 10 to 15 percent of those with concussive injuries display "persistent symptoms," generally cases when the physical injury is complicated by psychological issues. Sutton is chief of the Defense Department's newly created Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. The center reflects the department's effort to step up the quality of care for wounded warriors and their families.
"We need to ensure that we ... put out the message in general that concussions heal in the vast majority of cases, and that's a good-news story," she said. "In that small minority of cases where symptoms persist, we need to take a comprehensive, holistic view."
Schoomaker emphasized the military health community's dedication to caring for injured servicemembers.
"America can truly be assured that we are not going to rest until all our soldiers who have been wounded or are injured or are ill in the service to the nation are cared for both competently and compassionately," he said. "They'll receive the best support from the United States Army, the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs."
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 7, 2008 - The Army is aggressively diagnosing and treating soldiers who suffer concussive injuries and stress related to blast attacks, the Army's surgeon general said today. Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Eric B. Schoomaker, Army surgeon general and commander of U.S. Army Medical Command, told reporters during a media roundtable at the Pentagon today that issues stemming from such combat conditions are a "great concern" to soldiers, their families and the American public.
"We know the importance of prevention of these injuries and illnesses; we know the importance of timely diagnosis and treatment of both concussive and post-traumatic stress symptoms," Schoomaker said. "And we are aggressively executing programs that are designed to educate, to prevent, to screen and to provide the appropriate care in a timely fashion for all of these deployment-related stresses and injuries."
Concussive injuries and their psychological responses are "not new concepts to us," the general said. He noted that concussions occur domestically -- on America's highways and sports fields -- as often as they do in combat, and that referring to them as the war's "signature injury" is a mischaracterization.
Schoomaker said he doesn't believe the war on terror has produced any one signature injury. But he believes there is a signature weapon used by insurgents: a blast.
"It's being used very effectively in combat," he said. "It blinds our soldiers in some cases if they're unprotected. It deafens them. If it defeats our protective equipment, it may cause a mild concussive injury all the way to a very severe penetrating head injury."
The general said military health care professionals must identify and treat blast-related injuries as soon as possible after the event.
"Doing an effective screening as close as possible to the actual event and then making a decision whether that soldier should take a knee and step out of the battle so that they can recover ... is our most important goal," he said
Schoomaker said the Army created initiatives to increase the rapidity and efficiency of treatment, including arming medics to allow them to more safely treat wounded troops in combat zones, providing servicemembers with improved first aid kits, and training troops in medical techniques. In addition, in 2007 the Army instituted an 800,000-strong chain-teaching initiative -- from the most seasoned commander down to the most junior soldiers -- on concussive injuries and post-traumatic stress.
Army health officials are looking into the role context plays in a concussive injury and its aftermath, Schoomaker said, which may be a more significant factor than originally thought. To illustrate the importance of context, the general made an analogy to a quarterback who is hit hard in the course of a football game. Regaining consciousness while surrounded by thousands of sympathetic fans is a vastly different context from awakening in a combat zone, surrounded by the wounded bodies of your battle buddies, he said.
While screenings performed immediately after returning from deployment might be successful in identifying physical symptoms, the process might allow gaps in detecting latent symptoms related to context. Because certain emotional symptoms related to concussive injuries or combat stress emerge later than their physical counterparts, Schoomaker said, he advocates an additional screening three to six months after deployments. Identifying the root of emotional symptoms may help affected servicemembers avoid family, social, alcohol or other problems resulting from a lack of proper diagnosis and treatment.
Army Col. (Dr.) Loree Sutton said 10 to 15 percent of those with concussive injuries display "persistent symptoms," generally cases when the physical injury is complicated by psychological issues. Sutton is chief of the Defense Department's newly created Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. The center reflects the department's effort to step up the quality of care for wounded warriors and their families.
"We need to ensure that we ... put out the message in general that concussions heal in the vast majority of cases, and that's a good-news story," she said. "In that small minority of cases where symptoms persist, we need to take a comprehensive, holistic view."
Schoomaker emphasized the military health community's dedication to caring for injured servicemembers.
"America can truly be assured that we are not going to rest until all our soldiers who have been wounded or are injured or are ill in the service to the nation are cared for both competently and compassionately," he said. "They'll receive the best support from the United States Army, the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs."
Saturday, January 26, 2008
America Supports You: Caregivers Learn About 'Compassion Fatigue'
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 25, 2008 - Many servicemembers who have experienced combat, and their families, are familiar with the term "combat stress." The effects of combat, however, aren't limited to those directly connected to the experience. Stress can affect anyone who cares for those individuals, Dr. Joseph Bobrow, a clinical psychologist, told representatives of more than 100 troop-support organizations gathered at the Pentagon for the third annual America Supports You National Summit here today.
America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"One of the things that we've learned from experience and research is that 'compassion fatigue,' and the potential for burning out, is not just limited to psychotherapists," he said. "Family members who are caring for wounded veterans are at risk. Veteran service workers, like yourselves, (and) volunteers (are at risk)."
Bobrow, who also is executive director of the Coming Home Project, a troop-support organization, said becoming overwhelmed by the experience of caring for servicemembers and their families is the nature of that work.
"We can anticipate this happening," he said. "It doesn't necessarily ... mean a psychiatric disorder, just like post-traumatic stress ... is not necessarily a psychiatric disorder.
"In fact, it's the body, mind and soul's way of coping with an impossible situation," he explained.
Volunteers can easily fall victim to emotions similar to those that they aim to ease in their charges, he told the support group members. "The same seed of empathy and compassion that draws us to the work that we do, if it's taken to an extreme, is the same seed that could lead us down the slippery slope to burnout," Bobrow said.
Burnout, or compassion fatigue, can be overcome, but it's better to avoid it to begin with, he said. Incorporating positive thoughts and actions into daily life builds resiliency against burnout.
He offered the group several suggestions on how to stave off compassion fatigue, most notably the need to develop the ability to recognize when things start to get overwhelming. When that happens, it's good for individuals to know what refreshes them, he said.
Keeping their attitudes about the work they're doing fresh and upbeat isn't just healthy for volunteers. It can be one of the best things for the people they're working with, Bobrow told the group.
"Our own capacity for peace and joy and well-being ... is really, fundamentally, what we end up giving the next person," he said. "That's what people pick up from us, so if our batteries have run out, then we're no longer those agents of compassion."
Bobrow shared his experiences and advice with two groups during the summit. Army Lt. Gen. Carter F. Ham, operations director for the Joint Staff, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates also addressed the group, as did Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and public liaison, the architect of the America Supports You program.
Breakout sessions from the summit were recorded and will be available on the America Supports You Web site.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 25, 2008 - Many servicemembers who have experienced combat, and their families, are familiar with the term "combat stress." The effects of combat, however, aren't limited to those directly connected to the experience. Stress can affect anyone who cares for those individuals, Dr. Joseph Bobrow, a clinical psychologist, told representatives of more than 100 troop-support organizations gathered at the Pentagon for the third annual America Supports You National Summit here today.
America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"One of the things that we've learned from experience and research is that 'compassion fatigue,' and the potential for burning out, is not just limited to psychotherapists," he said. "Family members who are caring for wounded veterans are at risk. Veteran service workers, like yourselves, (and) volunteers (are at risk)."
Bobrow, who also is executive director of the Coming Home Project, a troop-support organization, said becoming overwhelmed by the experience of caring for servicemembers and their families is the nature of that work.
"We can anticipate this happening," he said. "It doesn't necessarily ... mean a psychiatric disorder, just like post-traumatic stress ... is not necessarily a psychiatric disorder.
"In fact, it's the body, mind and soul's way of coping with an impossible situation," he explained.
Volunteers can easily fall victim to emotions similar to those that they aim to ease in their charges, he told the support group members. "The same seed of empathy and compassion that draws us to the work that we do, if it's taken to an extreme, is the same seed that could lead us down the slippery slope to burnout," Bobrow said.
Burnout, or compassion fatigue, can be overcome, but it's better to avoid it to begin with, he said. Incorporating positive thoughts and actions into daily life builds resiliency against burnout.
He offered the group several suggestions on how to stave off compassion fatigue, most notably the need to develop the ability to recognize when things start to get overwhelming. When that happens, it's good for individuals to know what refreshes them, he said.
Keeping their attitudes about the work they're doing fresh and upbeat isn't just healthy for volunteers. It can be one of the best things for the people they're working with, Bobrow told the group.
"Our own capacity for peace and joy and well-being ... is really, fundamentally, what we end up giving the next person," he said. "That's what people pick up from us, so if our batteries have run out, then we're no longer those agents of compassion."
Bobrow shared his experiences and advice with two groups during the summit. Army Lt. Gen. Carter F. Ham, operations director for the Joint Staff, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates also addressed the group, as did Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and public liaison, the architect of the America Supports You program.
Breakout sessions from the summit were recorded and will be available on the America Supports You Web site.
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