Publications - Military Families

To Treat Pain, PTSD And Other Ills, Some Vets Try Tai Chi, by Blake Farmer, NPR, Apr 2 2018.

“This idea of going beyond prescriptions — and especially beyond opioids — in dealing with different sorts of pain and trauma has become a focus of the VA nationally. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has given $120,000 in grant money to Guo to spread his special wheelchair tai chi curriculum.  In addition to making a vet feel better physically, the VA also hopes these alternative therapies might help ease symptoms of conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder.  Guo, a medical anthropologist at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has modified his tai chi to work from a seated position. Even though many of the participants aren't in wheelchairs, using the mobile chairs makes it easier for them to get through a half-hour of movement. ”

Deployment Cycle of Emotions: No, You’re Not Crazy, by MJ Boice, National Military Family Association, Dec 20 2017.

“Every military family will have a different set of challenges when experiencing deployments. Likewise, each member of a military family will have different reactions based on their unique placement in the family. Experts have studied the cycle of emotions military families encounter during deployment and have found certain emotional characteristics can be identified through different phases throughout each deployment. ”

A suicide attempt in an Army unit can lead to more, study finds, by Jacqueline Howard, CNN, Jul 26 2017.

“Within Army units, the risk of suicide attempts among soldiers increases as the number of attempts made within the past year in their unit rises, according to the study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry on Wednesday. In other words, the greater the number of previous suicide attempts in a unit, the greater the individual risk of a suicide attempt for a soldier in that unit, said Dr. Robert Ursano, professor of psychiatry and neuroscience and director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Department of Defense's Uniformed Services University...The study involved data on 9,512 enlisted soldiers who attempted suicide between 2004 and 2009, documented in administrative and medical records...After analyzing the data, the researchers found that soldiers were more likely to attempt suicide if assigned to a unit with one or more previous suicide attempts in the past year, and that risk increased as the number of previous suicide attempts went up.   ”

Meditation-based Approaches in the Treatment of PTSD, by Alexander M. Talkovsky and Ariel J. Lang, National Center for PTSD, Jun 15 2017.

“As meditation-based treatments have gained popularity, many practitioners and researchers are incorporating them in the treatment of PTSD (Libby, Pilver, & Desai, 2012). Multiple types of meditation, which differ in philosophy and practice, have been applied clinically. This line of research is in its relative infancy, but initial evidence suggests that meditation-based approaches merit continued investigation to evaluate their efficacy, mechanisms, and implementation within Department of VeteransAffairs (VA) settings. ”

Veteran Teaches Therapists How To Talk About Gun Safety When Suicide's A Risk, by April Dembosky , NPR, Feb 9 2017.

“Suicide is often an impulsive act. Nearly half the people who survive an attempt say the time between their first thought of suicide and the attempt itself was less than 10 minutes. But the method can mean the difference between life and death: People who take pills have time to change their minds, or may still be alive when discovered. That's not the case with guns. Almost 70 percent of veterans who commit suicide do so with a gun, which prompted President Barack Obama to order the VA to talk to vets about gun safety and storage options like the ones Zimmerman uses. ”

Telemedicine for PTSD no less effective than in-person therapy, by Shereen Lehman, Reuters, Dec 13 2016.

“Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who have difficulties making it to in-person therapy sessions may be able to get treatment that’s just as good by videoconference.  Researchers compared home-delivered prolonged exposure therapy - which helps patients confront memories and situations that trigger their symptoms - to the same treatment given in U.S. Veterans Affairs clinics, and found no difference in effectiveness. ”

People with traumatic brain injuries more likely to go to prison, by Ronnie Cohen, Reuters, Dec 8 2016.

“Men and women who suffered traumatic brain injuries had more than twice the risk of winding up in a federal prison in Canada as their uninjured peers, a new study shows.  That doesn’t surprise Dr. Geoffrey Manley, a neurosurgeon who runs a trauma center. He knows all too well the long-term struggles of survivors of traumatic brain injuries. ”

Senators, Military Specialists Say Army Report On Dismissed Soldiers Is Troubling, by Daniel Zwerdling , NPR, Dec 1 2016.

“An Army review concludes that commanders did nothing wrong when they kicked out more than 22,000 soldiers for misconduct after they came back from Iraq or Afghanistan – even though all of those troops had been diagnosed with mental health problems or brain injuries. ”

Veterans may face higher risk of suicide during first year home, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Oct 27 2016.

“Veterans may be more likely to commit suicide during the first year after they leave the military than after more time passes, a U.S. study suggests.  Compared with people still on active duty in the military, veterans out of the service for up to three months were 2.5 times more likely to commit suicide, the study found. Veterans who had left the service from three to 12 months earlier had almost triple the suicide odds of current members of the military. ”

The adventures and heartache of a military family on the move, by Joshua Aisen, Boston Globe, May 10 2016.

“"A Navy dad understands his son’s yearning for long-term friends." ”

Military sexual trauma tied to increased risk of homelessness, by Andrew M. Seaman, Reuters, Apr 20 2016.

“Veterans who experienced sexual trauma in the military are at increased risk for homelessness, according to a new U.S. study. Compared to veterans who didn't experience sexual assault, battery or harassment during their military service, those who did were about twice as likely to be homeless during the five-year study, researchers found. ”

Reducing Mental Health Risk for Kids in Military Families, by Michael O. Schroeder , Feb 28 2016.

“"Resilience training found to be an effective prevention strategy in parents, kids." ”

Reports of sexual assaults at military academies spike 50 percent, by Wire Services, Aljazeera America, Jan 8 2016.

“Reports of sexual assaults at the three military academies surged by more than 50 percent in the 2014-15 school year, and complaints of sexual harassment also spiked, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press. A senior defense official says the sharp increases were due largely to students' growing confidence in the reporting system and expanded awareness programs that over the past several years have included training, videos and information sessions for both students and leaders. ”

Brave Like Me, by Barbara Kerley, 2016.

The Days Ahead: Essential Papers for Families of Fallen Service Members, Military One Source, 2016.

“Military One Source compiles resources--books, website, and orgnizations--for casualty survivors.   ”