Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

27 May 2008 -- The U.S. military says newly diagnosed cases of post-traumatic stress disorder among American troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan climbed nearly 50 percent last year, bringing a five-year total to nearly 40,000.

US soldier rests during 12-hour battle in Karbala, Iraq: Photo by Ashley Gilbertson (CC)

Officials Tuesday released figures that showed Marines and Army soldiers were most affected. These are the forces bearing the brunt of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.    » read more »

Senator Clinton, Reps. Maloney, Nadler, Fossella & Towns Say New Study Shows Continued Need for Strong Federal Response to WTC Health Crisis

May 20, 2008 -- New York, NY – Today, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler, Vito Fossella, and Edolphus Towns said that a new study by Mount Sinai School of Medicine showing high rates of psychological distress among World Trade Center responders underscores the need for a strong federal response to the health impacts of the 9/11 attacks.

World Trade Center, 9/11: Photo by macten (CC)    » read more »

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2008 – With growing recognition of the toll post-traumatic stress disorder has taken on U.S. forces, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the Defense Department may consider awarding Purple Heart medals to combat veterans afflicted with it.

Purple Heart

“It’s an interesting idea,” Gates said when asked about the concept during a May 2 media availability at Red River Army Depot, Texas. “I think it is clearly something that needs to be looked at.”

Gates’ comment followed his visit the previous day to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he toured the post’s Recovery and Resilience Center, which is using a holistic approach to treating troops with PTSD.    » read more »

October 23, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Christopher Bond (R-MO) sent the following letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, requesting a full accounting of service members’ psychological injuries, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), since October 2001.    » read more »

3-Sep-2007 -- A small study suggests that adults whose parents are Holocaust survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appear to have lower average levels of the stress hormone cortisol than the adult offspring of parents without PTSD, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.    » read more »