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Photos New PTSD Clinic uses virtual reality Dr. Alan Maiers (left), the assistant chief of the Warrior Resiliancy Program at Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, simulates a virtual reality city patrol Aug. 26 for Maj. Monty Baker, the Warrior Resiliancy Program director of research. The virtual reality program is designed to treat servicemembers who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder after returning from combat operations. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Amber Bressler) Download HiRes Wilford Hall opens new PTSD Clinic Posted 9/17/2009 Email story Print story by Linda Frost 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs 9/17/2009 - LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- Wilford Hall Medical Center has a new clinic to treat patients who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. The PTSD Clinic offers evidence-based treatments and a virtual reality program to help Airmen returning from combat operations. PTSD is an anxiety disorder which can occur after a person has been through a traumatic event, according to the National Center for PTSD. "We want to provide the highest quality care possible for patients experiencing PTSD," said Col. (Dr.) Gerald Talcott, 59th Medical Wing Mental Health Squadron commander. As part of the Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, the PTSD Clinic was created in response to the increasing number of service and family members with PTSD. It is timely in that it coincides with the establishment of the Air Force's new Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy, a pilot program initiated at eight Air Force bases. The Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy, using a computer-simulated Virtual Iraq and Virtual Afghanistan, allows Airmen to interact and recreate a traumatic scene and recall sights, sounds, smells, thoughts and feelings. Still in its preliminary stages, the clinic staff started seeing patients Aug. 3, and is led by Dr. Kellie Crowe, staff psychologist. "We are very excited about providing evidence-based treat

White, 37, of Cromwell, is an outreach counselor at the Hartford Vet Center in Rocky Hill. He is a member of a new breed of counselors hired by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in an attempt to avoid the Vietnam-era mistake of ignoring post-traumatic stress disorder and other readjustment problems experienced by soldiers returning from war zones. He was hired in 2004, one of about 50 counselors recruited because they had served in Iraq.

You're listening to Dot Mil Docs, a product of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. This show is designed to discuss the topics that concern you most when it comes to military health. We welcome your input, your questions, and your thoughts. We're glad you joined us. The appearance of advertising on this Web site, does not constitute endorsement by the (Department of Defense), of the products or services advertised on this site.

As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, more and more of our service men and women are experiencing both physical and emotional wounds. The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine and the Tug McGraw Foundation know that the pace at which scientific advancements are made can be accelerated through increased civilian/military partnerships. With the support of co-chairs Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Country United is a two-day event comprised of the Partnership for Military Medicine Symposium and the Country United Gala taking place on November 6 & 7, 2009 in Washington, DC. The symposium will highlight discoveries in military medicine and foster collaborations among military and civilian partners to further advance research and clinical care. The Country United Gala will recognize the efforts of medical researchers, clinicians, and educators, as well as friends of military medicine.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) commissioned the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report to evaluate the potential long-term consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The study readily identified the lack of literature on blast-related TBI and the long-term effects of TBI when blast injury is a contributing factor. The five recommendations are listed in the article.

t's been around since 2007, but the success of the Military Health System blog has surpassed expectations. Dr. Michael Kilpatrick is the Director of Military Health System Strategic Communications. He tells us that the importance of keeping in contact with members of the military and their families really can't be understated. He also says the blog helped make a lot of important information much more accessible to them.

The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) is one of many parts of the Department of Defense (DoD) that is undertaking initiatives to promote the prevention, early identification and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and substance use disorders.

The widespread use of social networking technologies by Iranians frustrated with election results shows "it is increasingly difficult for an authoritarian government to maintain control of all the means of communication that are available to its citizens," Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told reporters during a Pentagon news briefing on Thursday.

During a roundtable discussion at the Pentagon yesterday as part of "Brain Injury Awareness Month," Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Loree K. Sutton, director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, said more than 90 percent of servicemembers with TBI have concussions and recover quickly.

A survey of soldiers returning from Iraq found that as many as 1 in 4 had some level of hearing damage. A study in the American Journal of Audiology found that soldiers deployed to Iraq from April 2003 to March 2004 were 50 times more likely to suffer acoustic trauma than those who were not deployed. Such statistics have prompted the military to rethink how it handles hearing cases, and Ft. Carson, Colo., is on the front lines of that change.

Working together toward the same end-strengthening the health care capacity and crisis response capabilities of African nations to ultimately empower Africans to improve their health and security-was the theme of a conference in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Military Health System that introduced the new U.S. Africa Command surgeon to an array of partners from the military, Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the African Union.

TUESDAY, Dec. 9 (HealthDay News) -- A decade-long study into post-traumatic stress disorder among combat veterans and their identical twins has yielded critical information on the root causes of this devastating condition. The researchers found that both genetic and environmental factors increase the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The work, to be presented Tuesday at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology annual meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., was sponsored by both the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health and the Veterans Administration.

WASHINGTON - With motor vehicle crashes being a leading cause of deaths among combat veterans during the first years after their return home, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Defense (DOD) are working together to reduce these accidents.

Falls Church, Va. - The Department of Defense (DoD) is pleased to announce the successful launch of MiCare, the Military Health System's prototype personal health record (PHR) at Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC) in Tacoma, Wa. MiCare is designed to help members of the military and their families more easily and effectively manage their health and wellness, regardless of their location and as they seek care inside and beyond the Military Health System. MiCare developed as a pilot project in partnership with Microsoft Corp. and Google.

Today we hear from Dr. Shakir Jawad, former director general of health in Iraq. He now serves on the faculty of Uniformed Services University and as a member of the Office of International Health.

Movement for Global Mental Health calls for scaling up treatments for mental disorders, for the human rights of those affected to be protected, and for more research in low- and middle-income countries. The range of activities and efforts by multidisciplinary health professionals allows us to make major strides. I heartily endorse this initiative and am committed to helping achieve the vision, spurred by the Movement, that this can be one of the great public health successes of our times.

About one out of seven female veterans of Afghanistan or Iraq who visit a Veterans Affairs center for medical care report being a victim of sexual assault or harassment during military duty, a study reports today.

About three out of every 1,000 doctors were the targets of serious disciplinary actions by state medical boards last year. An annual report out from the watchdog group Public Citizen says the nationwide rate of serious actions, such as license revocations and suspensions, was 2.92 per 1,000 doctors last year. That was unchanged from the prior year - but remains below a peak of 3.72 in 2004.

From now on, military health workers will shove that needle a little deeper when administering anthrax vaccinations - but that extra pinch should prevent more pain later.A study that appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association in October found that injecting the vaccine into a muscle rather than into the fat just under the skin greatly reduced side effects, including warmth, itching, redness, inflammation or nodules. Itching went from 23 percent of male volunteers to 5 percent when they were injected intramuscularly. Redness and inflammation went from 74 percent of male patients to 29 percent of male patients. Pain, however, went up about one percent.

Feturing TAPS offers peer-based support, crisis care, casualty casework assistance and grief and trauma resources, all free. Unlike most programs offered through the military, TAPS provides ongoing help to anyone grieving the death of a loved one in the military, regardless of the relationship to the deceased, where they live, or the circumstances of the death.