National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
The National Center for PTSD is a part of the VA that works to advance the clinical care and social welfare of America's veterans through research, education, and training in the science, diagnosis, and treatment of PTSD and stress-related disorders. Their website is provided as an educational resource concerning PTSD and other enduring consequences of traumatic stress.
To join our listserv, write to Marc Dubin, Esq., at mdubin@pobox.com.
Friday, August 22, 2008
American Veterans with Brain Injuries (AVBI)
AVBI is a grassroots effort, whose mission is to offer support to brain injured American Veterans and their families or caregivers. They offer support through their web site, on line forum, live chat, advocacy, and public awareness. This web site offers personal stories, resources, and announcements of services available to these American Veterans. The AVBI on line forum is designed for questions to be asked and information shared. The AVBI live chat and peer advocacy offers personal support. The AVBI Blog hopes to bring public awareness to the many difficult issues that plague the brain injured veteran and their families.
To join our listserv, write to Marc Dubin, Esq., at mdubin@pobox.com.
To join our listserv, write to Marc Dubin, Esq., at mdubin@pobox.com.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Founded in June 2004, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is the nation's first and largest group dedicated to the Troops and Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the civilian supporters of those Troops and Veterans.
To join our listserv, write to Marc Dubin, Esq., at mdubin@pobox.com.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
DOJ Report: Helping Inmates Obtain Federal Disability Benefits
Helping Inmates Obtain Federal Disability Benefits -- Report
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Thousands of ill or disabled inmates are incarcerated in Federal, State, and local correctional facilities across the United States. The challenge of helping them obtain medical treatment and services after they are released is not a new one, but a recently released report looks at three programs that are assisting inmates in applying for such benefits.
Helping Inmates Obtain Federal Disability Benefits: Serious Medical and Mental Illness, Incarceration, and Federal Disability Entitlement Programs—cosponsored by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—reveals that many experts believe that continuing treatment after inmates are released results in a more successful return to society and could prevent the spread of tuberculosis, hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, and drug-resistant strains of viruses, thus minimizing the cost to community and corrections health care systems. It also could reduce crime—and hence recidivism—by releasees who continue to receive the medical and mental health treatment they need.
Federal disability benefits—Medicaid, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI), and veterans’ compensation funds—offer one solution. Unfortunately, as many officials know, the process of applying for Federal benefits is often complex, and incarceration makes it difficult for inmates to collect their medical information. Three programs investigated in the NIJ study demonstrate, however, that assisting severely ill inmates with applying for these benefits before they leave prison may dramatically increase their chances of receiving benefits postrelease and ease their transition back into the community....
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Alcohol abuse rises among US combat veterans-study
Alcohol abuse rises among US combat veterans-study
CHICAGO, Aug 12 (Reuters) - A significant number of U.S. veterans back from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan begin abusing alcohol after returning, perhaps to cope with traumatic memories of combat, military researchers said on Tuesday.Younger servicemen and women, those who were previously heavy drinkers, and call-ups from the National Guard and Reserves were the most likely to increase their drinking and to develop alcohol-related problems, according to the study.
"Increased alcohol outcomes among Reserve/Guard personnel deployed with combat exposures is concerning in light of increased reliance (on these) forces" by the Pentagon, the report said.
"Active-duty Marines were also found to be at increased odds of continuing to binge drink after deployment, as well as to experience new-onset alcohol-related problems," wrote Isabel Jacobs and colleagues at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, California.
Men were considered heavy drinkers if they consumed more than 14 alcoholic drinks per week, women seven drinks; binge drinking referred to downing five or more drinks in a day or occasion, four for women; and alcohol problems constituted drunkenness or hangovers that interfered with work or other responsibilities.
Reasons for the increased rates of alcohol abuse among Guard and Reserve members may be that they receive less training and support services than other arms of the military, they must transition from civilian life to a war zone, and their units are less cohesive, the report said.
The researchers surveyed 48,400 service members before (between 2001 and 2003) and after likely deployment (2004 to 2006) to identify heavy drinkers, binge drinkers, or those with alcohol-related problems.
Of those interviewed, 5,500 experienced combat and they were interviewed about a year after their return.
Combat veterans were 31 percent more likely to have begun binge drinking than those not exposed to combat. Six percent of returning combat veterans started a new habit of heavy weekly drinking and 5 percent developed a drinking-related problem.
New cases of alcohol abuse also arose among those who had not been deployed or did not see combat, but the rate of new cases was lower compared with returning combat veterans.
Women also had different drinking habits than men.
"Women were significantly more likely to start drinking heavily but less likely to start binge drinking or have alcohol-related problems compared with men, which may be due to women turning to drinking as a coping mechanism, whereas men may have a higher propensity for risk-taking behaviors," the researchers wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The findings were consistent with a recent study of soldiers returning from Iraq that found 12 percent of active-duty personnel had alcohol problems, and 15 percent of Reserve and National Guard members did.
The researchers said they hoped to direct intervention efforts at younger soldiers and other groups prone to alcohol abuse. They also pointed to the need to treat post-traumatic stress suffered by returning veterans who may try to drown their memories in drink.
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