Navy SEALs Mental Training Video
The “Big 4″ Components of Navy SEALs Mental Training
- Goal Setting – pick a goal, a “small chunk” of an overall goal, and focus on meeting it
- Mental Rehearsal (visualization) – see yourself doing what you going about to do, and see yourself succeeding
- Self-Talk – keep positive to override the negative effects of the Amygdala
- Arousal Control – use long, slow breaths to quiet down the effects of fight-flight…
Study Extends Traumatic Brain Pathology to Blast-Exposed Veterans
By: JEFF EVANS, Family Practice News Digital Network
5/22/2012
Evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy has been found in autopsies of four blast-exposed veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, signaling a potential overlap of the clinical signs and symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease observed in some athletes with a history of multiple concussions. But the case-control study’s small sample size – four veterans, four athletes with multiple concussions, and four controls without a history of head injury, blast exposure, or neurological disease – and additional history of civilian concussions in the four veterans leaves the specificity of the findings for blast-related trauma under question until further studies can be conducted.
Training the combat and operational stress control dog
Krol W.
America’s VetDogs-the Veteran’s K-9 Corps.
Combat and operational stress control (COSC) dogs represent a new category of military working dog. America’s VetDogs, a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization, trains and provides therapy dogs to work with the US Army’s combat and operational stress control teams deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq. By taking the therapy/service dog concept to the next level, these dogs have become an important modality in the Army’s initiative to safeguard Soldiers’ behavioral health while deployed, allowing COSC unit members to break down stigmas that are still present when dealing with behavioral health issues.
Military Courts Should Learn From Civilian Counterparts in PTSD
Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 | Posted by Veterans Today
By Associated Press
Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Miller knew that deserting his post was a serious crime. But, by then, he had a lot more on his mind and heart than his job. Back in 2003-2004, while Miller was deployed as a cavalry scout in Afghanistan, his father died, his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and he was facing divorce. During his second tour, this time in Iraq, his best friend was killed by a roadside bomb. A few months before his November 2007 serve-out date, while stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y., Miller learned that he had been “Stop-Loss’d” — meaning he would remain with his unit for a third deployment. He walked away twice, for a total of 19 months. At his court-martial two years ago, Miller testified that he knew he was likely suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but purposely avoided treatment “in fear that I would be labeled a ‘nut’ and no longer be respected by my peers or subordinates.”
A Pearl Harbor Survivor Salutes the Fallen
I will admit a partiality to World War II veterans, my husband is one, and so is retired U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Sterling R. Cale, a 90-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor.
Retired U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Sterling R. Cale, a 90-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor, salutes the 1,177 service members who lost their lives during the attack on the USS Arizona Dec.
Caring for the Mental Health of Our Active Military Service Members, Veterans and Their Families
Published on May 14, 2012
This article is the second in a series of three articles on the military leading up to Memorial Day of 2012.
Mental health is a national concern, particularly salient for those who put their lives on the line to protect America’s freedom. Mental health disorders are the 10th leading cause of death and disability and result in approximately 37,000 deaths in the United States (SAMHSA, 2012; CDC, 2012). In 2010, among noninstitutionalized adults, 3.3% reported a serious psychological distress in the past month. (CDC, 2012) In contrast, the percent of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with serious mental health disorders is far higher. Up to 20% of active duty military and 42% of reserve component military are in need mental health treatment. (NIDA, 2011) This article describes mental health challenges facing our military, veterans and their families, and describes programs and resources addressing their needs. The Indiana Prevention Resource Center (IPRC) seeks to support active duty and reserve military, veterans, and their families, and also to support their service providers. To this end the IPRC created a searchable database of online resources with descriptions and links, available both at www.vetresources.org and from the IPRC homepage. All of the resources described and cited in this article, and many more, can be found in this database.
Brain injury to soldiers can arise from exposure to a single explosion
May 16, 2012 in Medical research
A team of investigators have shown evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in brain tissue from blast-exposed military service personnel. Laboratory experiments conducted at Boston University, New York Medical College (NYMC) and the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System demonstrated that exposure to a single blast equivalent to a typical improvised explosive device (IED) results in CTE and long-term brain impairments that accompany the disease. They also found that the blast wind, not the shock wave, from the IED blast leads to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and long-term consequences, including CTE. This research, which represents the first case series of postmortem brains from U.S. military personnel who were exposed to a blast and/or a concussive injury, will be published online May 16 by Science Translational Medicine.
New 3-Minute Screen for Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, PTSD Provides ONE Number to Show Mental Health Risk
BETHESDA, Md., May 16, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) — Getting the answer to a simple question — “Whats My M3″ — gives you a number to help you and your primary care physician better understand and manage your overall health. WhatsMyM3 is a breakthrough, multi-diagnostic mental health screen designed to detect early signs of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). WhatsMyM3 was developed by a team of highly regarded and recognized mental health experts and clinicians who are focused on improving healthcare and reducing healthcare costs through the early detection of mental health issues. “Mental health is a critical component of your body’s overall physical health,” explains Larry Culpepper, MD, Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and a founding member of the M3 Collaborative.
‘Blast Wind’ Linked to Chronic Brain Injuries in Military
May 16, 2012
WEDNESDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) — The same type of brain damage seen in athletes who suffer repeated concussions also occurs in soldiers exposed to large blasts, new research indicates. In the study, researchers at Boston University and the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System analyzed brain tissue from four U.S. military personnel who were known to have been close to explosions. The results, published online May 16 in Science Translational Medicine, showed that exposure to a single blast — equivalent to the force from a typical improvised explosive device (IED) — results in chronic traumatic encephalopathy and long-term brain impairments associated with the condition.
Key Psychiatric Doctor Rejects Name Change for PTSD
HEALTH MILITARY — May 10, 2012 at 4:15 PM EDT
By: Daniel Sagalyn
PHILADELPHIA | A key leader in the psychiatric community has rejected the idea of altering the name of a traumatic condition affecting an estimated tens of thousands of U.S. combat veterans — a move that effectively blocks growing efforts by a small group of psychiatrists and military brass concerned about reducing patient stigma. Dr. Matthew Friedman, who is chairing the committee that is updating the trauma section of the dictionary of mental illness, said changing the name of the condition could have “unintended negative consequences” because “it would confuse the issue and set up diagnostic distinctions for which there is no scientific evidence.”
US Army examines why some soldiers avoid PTSD care
Posted on May 9, 2012 by Kristina
May 7, 2012 (Science Codex) – U.S. Army researcher Maj. Gary H. Wynn, M.D., shared new analysis on why some Soldiers suffering from combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) never seek care or drop out of treatment early during a presentation today at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting. His presentation, “Epidemiology of Combat-Related PTSD in U.S. Service Members: Lessons Learned,” also described the approaches the Army is using to address this issue and improve overall patient outcomes. Currently, fewer than half of the Soldiers who report symptoms of combat-related PTSD receive the care they need.
New name for PTSD could mean less stigma
By Greg Jaffe, Published: May 5, 2012
It has been called shell shock, battle fatigue, soldier’s heart and, most recently, post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Now, military officers and psychiatrists are embroiled in a heated debate over whether to change the name of a condition as old as combat. Military officers and some psychiatrists say dropping the word “disorder” in favor of “injury” will reduce the stigma that stops troops from seeking treatment. “No 19-year-old kid wants to be told he’s got a disorder,” said Gen. Peter Chiarelli, who until his retirement in February led the Army’s effort to reduce its record suicide rate. On Monday, a working group of a dozen psychiatrists will hold a public hearing in Philadelphia to debate the name change. The issue is coming to a head because the American Psychiatric Association is updating its bible of mental illnesses, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, for the first time since 2000.
