Andy MacNab and Liam Fox at the Opposition's Military Mental Health summit in Westminster

President Obama's thoughts on PTSD

U.S. President Barack Obama hopes that increasing the size of the force will help to reduce incidents of stress. He told reporters at the White House yesterday that There is a direct connection between the problems of PTSD and the pace of military operations. Obama said he wants to reduce the incidents of PTSD. And one of the best ways to do that, he said, is to reduce the amount of time in theater without a break.

The US army is keeping some men on beyond their original contracts, and will temporarily be increasing the active force by 22,000 members That is step 1 in reducing stress. Obama sees screening as step 2 - getting the armed forces to talk about these issues, encouraging people to avail themselves of services while they’re in theater, but also when they get home. He acknowledged the “much more aggressive, systemic screening” that the Veterans Agency conducts for every veteran entering its system.

Step 3 is to provide mental health services to those who need them. He said throwing money at the problem by itself is not enough, but it does help by funding more counselors, mental health specialists and treatment facilities. The US VA now has over 18,000 mental health providers working on the stress problem.

Long-term PTSD doubles demetia risk - from International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2009

There is mounting evidence that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), common among veterans returning from combat, may be associated with reduced cognitive function. Researchers are now looking at older veterans to see if PTSD increases the risk of developing dementia later in life.

Kristine Yaffe, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology and Epidemiology and Associate Chair of Research for the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry and Director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, and colleagues studied 181,093 veterans aged 55 and older without dementia. Of those included in the study, 53,155 veterans were diagnosed with PTSD and 127,938 veterans were not. Researchers followed the veterans from 2001 through 2007.

The researchers found veterans with PTSD were nearly twice as likely to develop dementia as those veterans without PTSD. Results were similar when researchers excluded veterans with a history of traumatic brain injury, substance abuse or depression.

"It is critical to follow patients with PTSD, and evaluate them early for dementia," Yaffe was quoted as saying. "Further research is needed to fully understand what links these two important disorders. With that knowledge we may be able to find ways to reduce the increased risk of dementia associated with PTSD."

Percentage of veterans with mental health problems jumps dramatically - from LA Times

About 37% of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have mental health problems, a nearly 50% increase from the last time the prevalence was calculated, according to a new study analyzing American Department of Veterans Affairs data. The study, which examined the records of about 289,000 veterans who sought care at the VA between 2002 and 2008, also found higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. “What’s really striking is the dramatic acceleration in mental health diagnoses, particularly PTSD, after the beginning of the conflict in Iraq,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Karen Seal, a staff physician at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and an assistant professor at UC San Francisco.

Another good reason to be treated

There is a close association between PTSD and Heart Disease. Anew study reported in the August 2008 issue of Psychosomatic Medicine shows that having PTSD "significantly raises the risk of premature death from heart disease... [veterans with PTSD are] roughly twice as likely to die from heart disease during follow up as veterans without PTSD." The study was based on data from over 4,000 US veterans. There is a number of routes through which post-traumatic stress may be causing the damage that leads to heart attacks. The sooner trauma is successfully treated, the less damage should be caused.

Civilians get traumatic symptoms too

The stress and anxiety caused by years of living under the rocket threat have left their mark on the children of Sderot. A study presented at a recent conference in Jerusalem revealed that 45% of the town's children under the age of six suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and that this is expressed through developmental regression, sleeping disorders or aggression.
The data, which has been collected since 2003, also indicated that 41% of mothers and 33% of fathers are suffering from PTSD and often experience flashbacks from difficult experiences and avoid places that remind them of rocket attacks.

PTSD and crime

This story comes from Florida Today - but it could have come from any country with an active Army. Unknown numbers of British men and women are in prison following violent incidents. It is impossible to be sure that these incidents would not have happened if these men and women had not been traumatised, but at Resolution we do know for sure that successful treatment always reduces the 'arousal' symptoms, which include anger and a 'short fuse'.

"Some 19 months since he was involved in a confrontation with police outside his home, Afghanistan war veteran Joseph Brian Odom has reached a deal with prosecutors and is expected to enter a plea in court this morning. Since the incident in November 2007, the 31-year-old Odom -- whose family claims he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder -- has been held in the Brevard County Detention Center. He's charged with aggravated assault with a firearm while discharging a firearm, aggravated assault upon a law enforcement officer while discharging a firearm, shooting into a building or vehicle and unlawful wearing of a bulletproof vest. Family members said Odom suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by Odom's service in Operation Enduring Freedom. They said he was fighting frequent nightmares, daily headaches and brief flashbacks prior to events that unfolded early Thanksgiving Day 2007. Sheriff's deputies said Odom shot at his wife, who called 9-1-1. He was wearing a military-style bulletproof vest and carrying a shotgun and an AK-47 rifle when he confronted officers who arrived at the couple's home just before 2 a.m. Odom had sought medical help through Veterans Affairs for growing anxiety and headaches. He had been prescribed anti-depressants and anti-psychotic and sleep drugs."

This story confirms once again that people with post-traumatic symptoms need help straight away. The right sort of help with enable them to sleep better and be calmer and more rational, and less likely to resort to alcohol, which often causes its own problems. If you have anger, flashbacks, nightmares, panic attacks or other common post-traumatic symptoms - and you have served in the UK military - please feel free to call Resolution on 0845 021 7873. We'll call you back to save your mobile charges. Advice is free, as is treatment in many cases.