VA’s Polytrauma System of Care Marks One Million TBI Screenings

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Polytrauma System of Care (PSC) has hit the one million mark in screening Veterans for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), often regarded as one of the signature injuries of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. TBI symptoms such as severe headaches, memory loss, reduced executive functioning, and tinnitus can range from manageable to seriously disabling, potentially limiting a Veteran’s ability to work and manage daily living. Screening Veterans for […]

Veterans / Ex-Servicemen Anxiety / Stress Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine Psychology / Psychiatry Transcendental Meditation May Reduce PTSD Symptoms, Medication Use In Active-Duty Personnel

Regular practice of Transcendental Meditation enables some active duty service members battling post-traumatic stress disorder to reduce or even eliminate their psychotropic medication and get better control of their often-debilitating symptoms, researchers report in the journal Military Medicine. The study looked at 74 active-duty service members with PTSD or anxiety disorder, often resulting from multiple deployments over multiple years, who were seeking treatment at Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center’s Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic at […]

Manage Your Emotions When Your Spouse Is Deployed

POSTED FROM MILITARY ONESOURCE WEBSITE You thought Space Mountain was a thrill ride. Well, hold on tight because your spouse’s deployment comes with its own dizzying heights, twists and turns. It lasts a whole lot longer, too. Having your spouse deployed can bring up a wide range of emotions, starting when you first learn about the deployment and continuing until well after your spouse has returned home. You may experience fear, anger, loneliness, joy, relief […]

Celebrating The Holiday Season While Stationed Overseas

BY JENNIFER WOODWORTH, PSY.D Many countries do not celebrate the holiday season the way families do in the United States. So, how might you create your own holiday spirit? Military families are constantly on the move and traveling from base to base, separated due to training or deployment; however the holiday season can be particularly difficult when apart from family. This especially impacts families who are stationed overseas, and while you might have your immediate […]

Teaching Fiscal Responsibility To Children

BY JENNIFER WOODWORTH, PSY.D Creating boundaries when they are young and allowing more freedom as they get older, produces children who are savvy about how and why they are spending their money. Starting in kindergarten, and even before, children are learning about money; what coins and dollar bills look like, how much they are worth, and the symbols that differentiate them from each other. However, it is more likely that children are watching their parents […]