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Minggu, 01 Juli 2012

PTSD Military And Veterans Should Receive Purple Hearts, NAMI Urges

PTSD Military And Veterans Should Receive Purple Hearts, NAMI Urges

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Main Category: Veterans / Ex-Servicemen
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry;Â Â Depression;Â Â Mental Health
Article Date: 01 Jul 2012 - 7:00 PDT

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an invisible wound and soldiers with PTSD should be considered for Purple Heart medals, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) urged yesterday as it launched a special report Parity for Patriots: The Mental Health Needs of Military Personnel, Veterans and their Families. The authors added that accountability for suicide prevention and the elimination of stigma should go all the way to the very top in the military.

Veterans looking for mental health care often find the Veterans Affairs medical system difficult to get into. According to the new report, over 1.3 million US veterans of working age have no health insurance - this problem is particularly prevalent among veterans aged under 35 years.

Most veterans do have access to conditions caused by military service for up to five years through the Department of Veterans Affairs, their access to free care becomes a problem with mental conditions that take some time to become apparent (delayed onset), such as depression or PTSD.

NAMI Executive Director Michael J. Fitzpatrick, said:

"NAMI is drawing a line in the sand with the Department of Defense. Troops with invisible wounds are heroes. It's time to honor them. It will also strike a tremendous blow against the stigma that often discourages individuals from seeking help when they need it."

The report mentions that:

Approximately one fifth of all active servicemen and women experienced some kind of mental condition, including PTSD and/or depression

Every 36 hours, an active duty soldier ends his/her life through suicide

Every 80 minutes one veteran (ex-serviceman or woman) ends his/her life through suicide

Of all the children of military personnel who have been deployed, one third have had mental problems, such as anxiety, acute stress reaction or depression

Of all the spouses who live with military personnel, at least one third lives with a partner who has a mental disorder

The number of suicides within the National Guard and Reserve forces has risen, even among those who have never been on active duty and cannot receive care through VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) because they are not eligible

Veterans, Pearl Harbor, 2003 - Former crew members of the Battleship Missouri- End of World War II ceremony

The authors urge the powers that be to widen the Department of Veterans Affairs' service capacity. They add that the US Department of Health and Human Services should fully implement the mental health insurance parity law which came into force in 2008.

Fitzpatrick said:

"Simple things make a difference. Give veterans rides, watch their children or grant them extra time off from work in order to make it possible for them to get treatment. Our troops don't leave wounded comrades behind. Don't leave veterans or their families behind."

Active duty military personnel reluctant to get mental health treatment

The warrior culture of "toughing it out", which is common among active duty service members, makes them more reluctant to ask for mental health treatment. The authors say trends are improving, however, a significant number of people in need of help resist seeking it out because they believe it will either undermine their career prospects or delay their return home.

Although military leaders have been told to encourage their service members to seek out health as soon as possible, too many are still torn between asking for help and "seeming weak". The authors quote a non-commissioned Army officer who had said:

"Our post-deployment mental health screening took place with the entire unit sitting down with the chaplain, and the chaplain asking if we had any problems, and the commanding officer saying that no one had any problems."

There still is family reluctance to seek out care for themselves. The military communities are tight-knit places - embarrassment and concern for affecting the service member's career prospects put many family members off.

The authors point out that although the system is now trying to promote seeking help as a sign of strength, the change is not fast enough.

The authors quote Deborah Mullen, wife of Admiral Mike Mullen, former chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, as having said:

"Spouses tell me all the time that they want to get mental health assistance. As incorrect as this is, they really do believe if they seek help it will have a negative impact on their spouse's military career."

NAMI's "Call To Action"

The NAMI report says the US Department of Defense needs to be more forceful in ending discrimination linked to the "invisible wounds of war". It is vital that the stigma that still surrounds mental illness be eliminated, or at least considerably reduced so that servicemen and women, veterans and their families can receive prompt and effective treatment for PTSD, depression and other mental health conditions.

The authors wrote:

Military leaders throughout the chain of command should be required to focus on preventable psychological injuries and deaths, which should be part of their efficiency reporting process. Suicides are preventable just as are the heat and cold injuries of service members for which leaders are routinely relieved of command.
(Purple Heart for psychological wounds) Posttraumatic stress and other mental health injuries, that are the result of hostile action, including terrorism, should be eligible for award of the Purple Heart with the same level of appreciation and recognition as those awarded to warriors with visible wounds.

American citizens have much to learn from service members, veterans and their families - they are educated and exist in a culture of service and heroism. If they have access to tools that cure them of their invisible wounds of war, they can then start helping others.

The purple heart

The Purple Heart is a military decoration given by the U.S. military in the name of the President of the country to soldiers who have been either killed or wounded. Along with the Badge of Military Merit, its forerunner, the Purple Heart takes the form of a heart made of purple cloth.

The Purple Heart - awarded for servicemen/women injured or killed on or since April 5, 1917

The Purple Heart is the oldest military award given to US servicemen and women - the only earlier award was the Fidelity Medallion, which is now obsolete.

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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At this point vets don't need medals, they need medical help

posted by Bob Olson on 1 Jul 2012 at 8:13 am

First things first. The public needs to be educated on PTSD. Quit changing the name. Most people think this malady was created during Vietnam. Fact is it's been called soldier's heart, shell shock, combat fatigue, combat stress, battle fatigue, etc. To most people taking a person out of battle, away from the shelling, etc. is an instant cure. It can't be turned on and off like a light switch. Once the public is educated, treatment is better accepted by soldiers. Lose the stigma. It's not about the money, it's about health and wellness. PS: Leave the medals alone and stick to medicine. At this point vets don't need medals, they need medical help. Work on that, please.

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Just a medal for a lifetime of pain?

posted by Mark on 1 Jul 2012 at 7:58 am

Wow,a soldier goes to war, suffers a trauma (physical or mental) and they get a medal. That's suppose to make up for the pain they will have to deal with for the rest of their lives???

A medal does not take away the pain and anguish of day to day living with a visible or hidden disability.

What really needs to happen is for the US Gov't to fully fund, without co-pays or deductibles, the cost of those returning from war that have both physical and emotional scars. After all, it is the government who sent them into war. The gov't should bear the responsibility if the individual suffers a loss, while under the government's direct authority, as in war.

It should not be up to the individual to find the assistance they might need. That assistance should have already been thought of *BEFORE* deployment.

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Post Combat Stress Disorder (PCSD) Concept Purple Heart Medal

posted by Peter S. Griffin on 1 Jul 2012 at 7:49 am

It would have been nice if NAMI would have given honorable mention to Griffin's Lair. After all, I sent them the PCSD Concept and Purple Heart Medal Proposal outlined there for their examination and endorsement. They never responded to my request. Now, "they" are proposing this vital initiative to reduce the stigmas facing our psychologically combat wounded warriors. Never-the-less, I am glad to have this major mental health organization acknowledge the need for this much needed recognition and honor for these GIs who have given so much for our country. I have no doubt it will help reduce the tragic number of suicides among our military and combat veteran populations. Thank you, NAMI for your much needed help in possibly bringing this long overdue honor, recognition and thanks to these brave men and women who have risked life, limb and their mental health for our people and nation. Peter S. Griffin

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No Purple Hearts for PTSD

posted by Tom Jordan on 1 Jul 2012 at 7:36 am

No combat wound, no medal.

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Genes Associated With Hippocampal Atrophy Revealed By Study

Genes Associated With Hippocampal Atrophy Revealed By Study

Main Category: Alzheimer's / Dementia
Also Included In: Genetics;Â Â Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 01 Jul 2012 - 0:00 PDT

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In a genome-wide association (GWA) study, researchers from Boston University Schools of Medicine (BUSM) and Public Health (BUSPH) have identified several genes which influence degeneration of the hippocampus, the part of the brain most associated with Alzheimer disease (AD). The study, which currently appears online as a Rapid Communication in the Annals of Neurology, demonstrates the efficacy of endophenotypes for broadening the understanding of the genetic basis of and pathways leading to AD.

AD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder for which there are no prevention methods. Available drugs only marginally affect disease severity and progression, making AD effectively untreatable.

GWA studies using very large samples have increased the number of robust associations to 10 genes, including APOE. However, these genes account for no more than 35 percent of the inherited risk of AD and most of the genetic underpinning of the disorder remains unexplained. According to the researchers, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain provides in vivo quantitative measures of neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular brain injury that may represent AD-related changes long before clinical symptoms appear. These measures are more powerful than comparisons of individuals with AD with cognitively healthy persons because they avoid misclassification of normal persons who will develop disease in the future.

BUSM researchers conducted a two-stage GWA study for quantitative measures of hippocampal volume (HV), total cerebral volume (TCV) and white matter hyperintensities (WMH). Brain MRI measures of HV, TCV and WMH were obtained from 981 Caucasian and 419 African-American AD cases and their cognitively normal siblings in the MIRAGE (Multi Institutional Research in Alzheimer's Genetic Epidemiology) Study. In addition, similar MRI measures were obtained from 168 AD cases, 336 individuals with mild cognitive impairment and 188 controls (all Caucasian) in the AD Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) Study. The MIRAGE Caucasian families and ADNI subjects were included in the first stage and the MIRAGE African American families were added in stage two. Results from the two Caucasians data sets were combined by meta-analysis.

In stage two, one genetic marker (i.e. single nucleotide polymorphism or SNP) from each of the gene regions that were most significantly associated with AD in the Caucasian data sets was evaluated in the African-American data set.

Novel genome-wide significant associations were observed for HV with SNPs in the APOE, F5/SELP, LHFP, and GCFC2 gene regions. All of these associations were supported by evidence in each data set.

"Our two-stage GWAS identified highly significant associations between a measure of degeneration in the brain region most strongly correlated with AD and several genes in both Caucasian and African American samples containing AD, cognitively impaired and cognitively healthy subjects. One of these associations was with the Îµ4 variant of APOE which is the most well-established genetic risk factor for AD.

Other associations were demonstrated with markers in F5/SELP, LHFP, and GCFC2, genes not previously implicated in this disease" explained senior author Lindsay Farrer, PhD, chief of biomedical genetics at BUSM. He also noted, "previous studies showed that blood level of P-selectin (the protein encoded by SELP) has been correlated with rate of cognitive decline in AD patients."

Farrer believes it is very likely that the number and specificity of these associations will increase in future studies using larger samples and focused on additional precise structural and functional MRI measures. "These findings will inform experiments designed to increase our understanding of disease-causing mechanism and may lead to new therapeutics targets," added Farrer.

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Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, Indiana University School of Medicine and University of California at Davis also collaborated on this study.
This study was supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the Dana Foundation and the National Institutes of Health Clinical and Translational Science Institute. ADNI is funded by the NIA and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, and through generous contributions from the following: Abbott, AstraZeneca AB, Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eisai Global Clinical Development, Elan Corporation, Genentech, GE Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline, Innogenetics, Johnson and Johnson, Eli Lilly and Co., Medpace, Merck and Co., Novartis AG, Pfizer, F. Hoffman-La Roche, Schering-Plough, Synarc, and Wyeth, as well as nonprofit partners the Alzheimer's Association and Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, with participation from the US Food and Drug Administration. Private sector contributions to ADNI are facilitated by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health.
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A Need For Clergy To Put Others First Impacts Their Own Health

A Need For Clergy To Put Others First Impacts Their Own Health

Main Category: Mental Health
Also Included In: Public Health;Â Â Depression
Article Date: 01 Jul 2012 - 0:00 PDT

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Clergy's practice of putting others first can be detrimental to their own health, say researchers at Duke University.

Pastors have been found to have higher-than-average rates of chronic disease and depression. But it may be difficult to get pastors to seek care because they typically default to caring for others first.

Duke researchers have been trying to design health programs that will be more effective for clergy, given these tendencies.

"Clergy recognize the importance of caring for themselves, but doing so takes a back seat to fulfilling their vocational responsibilities, which are tantamount to caring for an entire community," said Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, research director of the Clergy Health Initiative at Duke Divinity School and assistant research professor at the Duke Global Health Institute.

"Many pastors equate self-care with selfishness," Proeschold-Bell said. "They feel they need permission to take the time to attend to their health. A health intervention aimed at clergy must address this tendency head-on."

Her group's latest study, published in the Journal of Prevention Intervention in the Community, underscores the need to place preventive care programs for clergy in the context of their beliefs, congregational expectations and church polity. The findings are drawn from in-depth focus group data from 88 United Methodist clergy in North Carolina. Duke maintains a historic affiliation with the United Methodist Church.

To succeed, health intervention programs must overcome a variety of potential barriers named by clergy: cost, distance, pastors' unpredictable work schedules and fear that mental health issues will be discovered and stigmatized by congregants and supervisors.

The focus group clergy also emphasized that any health intervention must demonstrate the connection between physical, mental and spiritual health.

Research by the Duke Clergy Health Initiative has found that compared to other North Carolinians, United Methodist clergy have higher-than-average rates of obesity (40 percent versus 29 percent), as well as higher rates of diabetes, asthma, arthritis and hypertension. They also exhibit symptoms of depression at nearly double the national average: 10.5 percent vs. 5.5 percent.

Yet, despite reporting higher rates of chronic disease, these clergy were more likely to say their health did not affect their ability to do their work.

"Clergy perceive themselves to be much healthier than they actually are," said Proeschold-Bell. "They don't always recognize that they need help. That makes it all the more important that we design health interventions that pastors are likely to accept."

The Duke Clergy Health Initiative is testing this idea through a multi-year health intervention called Spirited Life.

More than 60 percent of the United Methodist clergy in North Carolina are currently enrolled in the program, through which they receive two years of intervention services. The program is theologically grounded and is the first study to combine weight loss and stress management interventions into a single program lasting more than 12 months.

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Communicating With People Described As Being In An Unconscious, Vegetative State

Communicating With People Described As Being In An Unconscious, Vegetative State

Main Category: Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;Â Â MRI / PET / Ultrasound
Article Date: 01 Jul 2012 - 0:00 PDT

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Researchers have come up with a device that may enable people who are completely unable to speak or move at all to nevertheless manage unscripted back-and-forth conversation. The key to such silent and still communication is the first real-time, brain-scanning speller, according to the report published online on June 28 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.

The new technology builds on groundbreaking earlier uses of fMRI brain scans to assess consciousness in people described as being in an unconscious, vegetative state and to enable them to answer yes and no questions. fMRI (or functional magnetic resonance imaging) is typically used for clinical and research purposes to track brain activity by measuring blood flow.

"The work of Adrian Owen and colleagues led me to wonder whether it might even become possible to use fMRI, mental tasks, and appropriate experimental designs to freely encode thoughts, letter-by-letter, and therewith enable back-and-forth communication in the absence of motor behavior," said Bettina Sorger of Maastricht University in The Netherlands.

The new evidence shows that the answer to that thought question is yes. Sorger's team came up with a letter-encoding technique that requires almost no pre-training. Participants in their study voluntarily selected letters on a screen, which guided the letter encoding; for each specific character, participants were asked to perform a particular mental task for a set period of time. That produced 27 distinct brain patterns corresponding to each letter of the alphabet and the equivalent of a space bar, which could be automatically decoded in real-time using newly developed data analysis methods.

In each communication experiment, participants held a mini-conversation consisting of two open questions and answers. Everyone the researchers tested was able to successfully produce answers within a single one-hour session.

The results substantially extend earlier uses of fMRI, which allowed individuals to answer the equivalent of multiple-choice questions having four or fewer possible answers, by enabling free-letter spelling. That could make all the difference for people who are completely paralyzed and unable to benefit from other means of alternative communication, Sorger says.

Ultimately, she says their goal is to transfer the fMRI technology they've developed to a more portable and affordable method for measuring blood flow, such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

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Critical To The Control Of Influenza Are Both Innate And Adaptive Immune Responses

Critical To The Control Of Influenza Are Both Innate And Adaptive Immune Responses

Main Category: Flu / Cold / SARS
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 01 Jul 2012 - 0:00 PDT

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Both innate and adaptive immune responses play an important role in controlling influenza virus infection, according to a study, published in the Open Access journal PLoS Computational Biology, by researchers from Oakland University, Michigan, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, USA.

Influenza, as a contagious respiratory illness remains a major public health problem worldwide. Seasonal and pandemic influenza results in approximately 3 to 569 million cases of severe illness and approximately 250,000 to 500,000 deaths worldwide. Although most infected subjects with intact immune systems are able to clear the virus without developing serious flu complications, the biological factors responsible for viral control remain unclear.

To investigate the factors for viral control, the researchers developed mathematical models that included both innate and adaptive immune responses to the virus. These models were used to study the viral dynamics of the influenza virus infection in horses. After infection, viral levels rise rapidly, reach a peak and fall, then they attain a low plateau that can be followed in some animals by a second peak. Ultimately, viral levels decline and the infection is cleared. By comparing modeling predictions with experimental data, researchers examined the relative roles of availability of cells susceptible to infection, so-called target cells, and innate and adaptive immune responses in controlling the virus.

The research showed that the two-part innate immune response, generated by natural killer cells, and the antiviral effect caused by interferon, a naturally produced protective molecule, can explain the first rapid viral decline and subsequent second viral peak. The second peak comes about because as the viral level falls, the immune response also falls allowing the virus the opportunity to grow back before the adaptive ultimately clears it.

However, for eventual viral clearance it is the body's adaptive immune response that is needed.

The data analyzed were from equine influenza virus infection in horses. However, similar viral kinetic profiles have been observed in humans infected with the influenza virus. The authors conclude that the study can be used to explain the viral and interferon kinetics observed during a typical influenza virus infection.

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Financial disclosure: Portions of this work were done under the auspices of the US Department of Energy under contract DE-AC52-06NA25396, supported by the NIH grant P30-EB011339 and contract HHSN272201000055C, the National Center for Research Resources and the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) through grant 8R01-OD011095-21, NSF grants DMS-1122290 and PHY-0551164, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory LDRD Program. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Citation: Pawelek KA, Huynh GT, Quinlivan M, Cullinane A, Rong L, et al. (2012) Modeling Within-Host Dynamics of Influenza Virus Infection Including Immune Responses. PLoS Comput Biol 8(6): e1002588. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002588
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