PTSD in the news

Wartime PTSD cases jumped roughly 50 pct. in 2007

There has been a lot of PTSD press lately, and naturally I find this interesting. I guess that increased visibility is the first step towards validation for these men and women. I've noticed that discussion of PTSD is more accepted here among the Army Guard than it is in the Air Force, but it's still grossly misunderstood and no one really has any sense that there is a treatment (other than drugs) for PTSD. Even in the military medical world I have been stunned that no one really knows much about it, other than it's something you don't want, and if you get a patient who says they have it, you must immediately refer...

This weekend I'm traveling to San Antonio for a 1 week US Army course/conference on Combat Operational Stress Control. Ostensibly it will provide me with the Army doctrine for prevention and treatment of combat/ operational stress. It isn't a training for PTSD treatment (that's what I do at home), but it is the template for front-line psychological interventions for troops. I'll provide updates.