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Veterans Roundup: PTSD Help Comes in Many Forms, TBI Becomes Focus, and More
Commander of ill-fated Fitzgerald among
veterans with PTSD helped by innovative writing and arts program
Military
Times, Dylan Gresik (@DylanGresik)
Using various forms of art for creating something new out of the destruction of
war is having a profound impact on our military and veteran communities.
Community Building Art Works (CBAW) hosts monthly and weekly writing workshops,
online writing sessions, art exhibits and live performances at various military
hospitals. A quick Google or Facebook search of “arts and the military” will
show a long list of initiatives, events and military veteran artists sharing their
work at in-person and online venues across the country. Suppression of our
experiences, thoughts and feelings is often a byproduct of serving in the
military for people of all genders. It affects military family members, as
well. Military enculturation is a powerful process that relies on traditional
masculine norms to shape the behaviors and attitudes of those serving within
its ranks. A recent study reported last week that strict adherence to masculine
norms was associated with more severe PTSD symptoms. The belief that service
members should control and restrict their emotions and strive to be tough no
matter the circumstances sticks with us and is wreaking havoc on our ability to
thrive in our post-military lives. Art can be used to accompany us along the
difficult process of self-actualization or the finding of a renewed sense of
self after military service. This week, stories highlight concerns about DOD
recommended PTSD therapies that are not working for around two thirds of
patients. But in the chaos of life, rarely are answers found in a singular
method or approach to something. Therapy is important, and some therapies may
work for one person and have a different outcome for another. It is important
not to discount different methods. I think the answer lies somewhere in the
realm of holism. We have to get better at treating our whole selves– the
mental, the physical, the biological, our social selves, etc. This in and of
itself is a learning process defined by trial and error. It can be really uncomfortable
at first to push yourself into a place of discomfort, which different forms of
art can do. But cultivation of expression through art, as it is described in
the article, can counteract many of the stifling behaviors we acquired in the
military, and lead us to a better understanding of our past experiences which
will shape our current and future selves. There is a lot of truth to the old
adage that in order to change, you have to be willing to be uncomfortable. If
you are reading this and your first reaction is to say, “Well that’s a nice
story, but it’s not for me,” consider attending an arts workshop. You will
likely be surprised at how beneficial it is and how amazing it is when you
start to actually feel something other than anger and frustration again.
– Kiersten Downs, PhD, Research Director at ScoutComms
VA, DoD recommended PTSD therapies don’t help many military patients, review
finds
Military
Times, Patricia Kime (@patriciakime)
This story from Patricia has caused some consternation amongst veterans mental
health advocates due to concerns it might encourage some veterans to not seek
treatment for their PTSD and related afflictions. Like many of these issues,
there is more to unpack than a simple headline. It starts with a new report
published in JAMA Insights, saying the psychotherapy approaches most commonly
recommended by the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense to treat
military-related PTSD don’t work for up to two-thirds of patients, and do not
outperform non-trauma-focused interventions. “Recent PTSD treatment trials show
that military – related PTSD is a complex … condition, and treating it with a
single course of trauma-focused monotherapy is not well tolerated by many
patients and has limited efficacy,” concluded Maria Steenkamp, clinical
assistant professor of psychiatry at Grossman, and Dr. Charles Marmar,
psychiatrist at NYU Langone Medical Center. Without diving into the weeds too
much, it simply means that not every patient responds to the same kind of
treatment. Some work and some don’t for different traumas and experiences. My
own experience was that talk therapy, group sessions and then eye-movement
desensitization and reprocessing therapy, EMDR, worked extremely well in
addressing my multi-trauma form of PTS. So, the important point comes at the
end of Patricia’s piece that “the message is for people to keep trying
different therapies, keep giving each one a real shot. Be patient. It can be a
lengthy recovery process.” Recovery from trauma based mental health issues is
not a straight line, it’s not easy and it’s not overnight with a magic bullet.
I urge veterans to recognize you need help and start somewhere with getting
better. There is no reason you can’t get better if you try. – Fred
Wellman, CEO and Founder of ScoutComms with Téa Le, ScoutInsight Intern
Troops treated for TBI after Iran missile
strikes may be getting Purple Hearts
Military.com,
Richard Sisk
Dozens of troops who
have suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to the Iranian airstrikes on Al
Asad Air Base, Iraq are now eligible for Purple Hearts, though it is up to the
individual services whether or not they will be awarded. In order to receive the
Purple Heart, those who have suffered TBI require “both a doctor’s diagnosis
and that the service member [missed] at least two days of duty because of the
injury.” As of now, there has been no update on whether or not the decisions to
award the Purple Hearts have been made. Originally, officials stated that there
were no U.S. casualties from the attack. However, since the Iranian missile
strikes, in which there were an estimated 15 Iranian missiles to hit the base
in Iraq’s province, officials have said that there are at least 11 U.S. service
members who suffered TBIs. The number continues to rise, as the symptoms of TBI
can take a number of weeks to show up.
‘Invisible wounds’: Navy SEAL’s family pushes for recognition of traumatic
brain injuries after son’s death
Capital
Gazette, Lilly Price (@lillianmprice)
Ryan Larkin was a decorated Navy SEAL operator and explosives breacher who was regularly exposed to high-impact blast waves throughout his ten years of service, causing microscopic tears in the tissue that were so small MRIs and PET scans couldn’t detect the damage on a living person. He died by suicide in 2017 with the medals he earned in service near him. Before passing, Ryan Larkin asked that his body be donated to traumatic brain injury research. His desires were met when his brain was examined at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Frank Larkin, a former Navy Seal, retired Senate Sergeant of Arms and Ryan’s father, has been on a mission to “advocate for more research in traumatic brain injuries and educate the public in hope that one day these injuries can be diagnosed before death.” Frank Larkin hopes to bridge the gap between information and action with his work to support the advancement of this research with a more holistic approach. Ultimately, giving patients suffering from invisible wounds “the opportunity to identify the biological connection to mental health issues and the chance to improve brain health.”
VA chief calls deputy’s sudden firing a ‘simple
business decision’ but provides few answers
The
Washington Post, Lisa Rein (@Reinlwapo)
On Monday, Veterans
Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie abruptly fired his deputy secretary, James
Byrne. Wilkie defended his dismissal, saying it was “a simple business
decision” and that Byrne “was not jelling with other members of the team.” This
firing “comes as Wilkie has openly expressed frustration with his own job and
sought other high-profile positions in the Trump administration, rankling some
White House officials, according to multiple people close to VA and the White
House.” Wilkie stated that there is no connection between Byrne’s firing and
the sexual assault allegations by Navy veteran Andrea Goldstein, a senior
member on the staff of House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano
(D-Calif.). Wilkie, who issued a public letter calling Goldstein’s claims
“unsubstantiated,” has said he is now making a “renewed push to get answers
. . . to make sure those involved get satisfaction.”
Cost, usage of VA Mission Act still uncertain
Stars
and Stripes, Nikki Wentling (@nikkiwentling)
The cost of the VA
Mission Act, a new bipartisan program intended to connect veterans with
private-sector doctors, is still under discussion as of Wednesday this week.
With President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for the agency in fiscal 2021
being unveiled in the next week, the funding requirements for the program need
to be discussed and settled. Sen Jon Tester stated, “I don’t see how we can
figure out how many dollars are associated with those appointments and whether
the usage is in line with what you estimated when this program was set up.”
When Congress provided the VA with $15 billion dollars for community care,
officials remained unaware if the money was enough to fund the program or not.
Though there are many questions about the cost of the VA Mission Act, the
executive in charge of the Veterans Health Administration, Richard Stone,
believes that once they get the proper funding that they won’t need to ask for
any additional dollars. The VA predicted that under the Mission Act, the number
of veterans eligible for community care will increase from 684,000 to 3.7
million.
Veterans groups want government to expedite forgiveness of student loans
Military.com,
Jim Absher (@jlabsher)
The bipartisan group
that works to help military families with their education and careers, Veterans
Education Success, led 22 veterans groups to send a letter to Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos, urging her to follow an order signed by President Donald
Trump that would forgive all outstanding student loans held by permanently
disabled veterans. The 2019 executive order exempted totally and permanently
disabled veterans from paying taxes on the amount of their forgiven loans. More
than 400,000 severely disabled veterans are waiting for the DoE to forgive
their loan debts, and the average dollar amount of the student loans is
$30,000. The DoE has yet to act on this order, even though it has now been 6
months since the executive order was officially signed.
Toxic ‘black goo’ base used by U.S. had enriched uranium. More veterans
report cancer
McClatchy
DC, Tara Copp (@TaraCopp)
Last December, McClatchy reported that the Pentagon “had known from the beginning” that K2, a former Soviet base in Uzbekistan, was contaminated with radioactive and toxic materials that “broke through the soil in a ‘black goo,’” but 7,000 American troops were still deployed to the base following 9/11. The Army reported in 2015 that over 60 service members stationed at K2 developed cancer, but a Facebook group of veterans who served at the base self-reported a cancer rate five times the rate disclosed by the Army. Last month the House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s national security subcommittee sent letters to the Department of Defense and the VA requesting that both agencies “turn over…any documents that describe the conditions at K2 and what has been done to treat the veterans who served there.” While neither agency has responded, VA spokeswoman Susan Carter commented, “There is no indication of increased cancer rates among veterans who served at [K2].” For more information on veterans and toxic exposure, check out ScoutInsight’s article on the issue here.
The Lies We Tell About Soldiers’ Traumatic Brain Injuries
The New Republic, Bryan Box
In a response to President Donald Trump’s comments downplaying the severity of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) sustained by service members, veteran Bryan Box recounted his firsthand experience with TBIs suffered in combat. Box wrote that “six big blasts” damaged his pituitary gland which caused a severe and dangerous decrease in his levels of human growth hormone (HGH). His condition was finally stabilized two years after issues with his pituitary gland were identified, but Box commented that “if people can’t see your injury, they can’t really see you.” Box argues that invisible injuries aren’t in keeping with the image that the “‘pro-military’ crowd” puts on a pedestal. In noting that struggling with TBIs and disagreeing with “war-hawks” draws the ire of the “‘pro-military’ crowd,” Box wrote, “your service only matters when you remain in character.”

Fred Wellman, CEO and Founder of ScoutComms, brings us his weekly review of veteran news via The Scout Report. Fred served over twenty years as an Army officer in both aviation and public affairs. Follow Fred on Twitter @ScoutComms
This entry was posted on Friday, February 07, 2020 6:10 pm