What is EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It works by using bi-lateral tones listened to on headphones, tapping, and/or eye movement while thinking about the trauma. On the outset it looks very simple...and it is very different from traditional talk therapy. There are many theories, but no one is quite sure how it works. Here is what it looks like during a session: www.youtube.com/watch

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Kansas man sues Tulane fraternity over alleged hazing

claims.. was hazed at Tulane two months before the incident and that he has developed post-traumatic stress disorder that caused him to "take unwise actions because of a breakdown in his decision-making process in stressful situations."

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Secrecy a factor in the rise of military suicides

The Department of the Army has finally gone public and acknowledged the alarming rate of suicide among its ranks. While Army leadership is to be commended for breaking the barrier of silence regarding mental illness in the military, the underlying culture of secrecy that has contributed to the current trend is in dire need of reform.

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Writing After Terrorist Attack Has Positive Medium Term Effects

A new study has analysed the expressive writing of terrorism victims to analyse their psychosocial processes following the terrorist attacks in New York and Madrid. Despite the cultural differences of the people involved, the results show that the feelings and thoughts experienced following this type of traumatic event are universal.

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Army reaches out to families to prevent suicides

"They go from being in the combat zone one day to being in their home the next and our trick is to try to help them turn off that mind-set - that they are no longer in a combat situation,"

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A search for asylum and peace of mind

PTSD, along with depression, is prevalent among asylum seekers who have fled war, torture, or other trauma in their native countries, according to the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights.

The condition complicates immigrants' quest to gain asylum - a key step to citizenship - because of the difficulty sufferers may have in recounting their stories and making them credible before an immigration court.

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Study: Iraqis mentally resilient amid war

About 30 percent have been exposed to shootings or bombings. Others have witnessed killings or mutilated bodies. Nearly 10 percent had a family member kidnapped or had been abducted, captured or imprisoned themselves.
The trauma experienced by respondents of Iraq's first nationwide mental health survey, which was released Saturday, was a grim litany of the violence that pushed the country to the brink of civil war.

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Iraqi mental health study shows need for more care

Nearly 70 percent of Iraqis who said they suffer from mental disorders have contemplated suicide but only a fraction have sought treatment, according to a nationwide study released Saturday.
Sponsored by the World Health Organization and the Iraqi government, the first nationwide mental health survey in Iraq since the war started highlighted the need for improved care for a population that has been hit by years of war and sanctions.

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Generals share their experience with PTSD

Army generals aren't known for talking about their feelings. But two high-ranking officers are doing just that, hoping that by going public they can remove the stigma that many soldiers say keeps them from getting help for post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Stress, suicide: tough wounds for the US Army

Anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and record-high suicide rates are haunting American veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, amid a taboo over mental distress.

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PTSD sufferers deserve a medal

A Pentagon study recently estimated that 11% of Iraq veterans and 20% of Afghanistan veterans suffer from PTSD. Another study counts some 300,000 victims in all. This is not a simple condition. Its effects can range from temporary readjustment problems to suicide and murder, both of which have reached alarming levels among soldiers returning from duty.

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War stress stays after 7 decades

OTTAWA -- He is now 86, but the "invisible wounds" of war remain.

Jerome Jodoin returned from the Second World War with nightmares, irrepressible tears and profound sadness.

Nearly seven decades later, the symptoms are still there.

"All kinds of crazy stuff is in your head. You see the bodies floating in the water and that kind of stuff," he said. "It's very hard for anyone who hasn't been there to realize how serious it is. And you've got it for life."

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Soldier Suicides Continue Alarming Rise

After an alarming spike in soldier suicides in January, the U.S. Army said Thursday there were another 18 suspected suicides last month.

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PTSD but not trauma itself ups suicide risk

Results of a study confirm that young adults who develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after traumatic events are at increased risk of attempting suicide later on. Importantly, the researchers say, the study also shows that people who experience a traumatic event but do not develop PTSD are not at increased risk of attempting suicide.

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PTSD Veterans Built-In Paranoia

Some PTSD Vets become hermits just to get away from people and/or big trucks that sound like tanks or artillery haulers. Many are afraid of the dark, justifiably so. Night terrors quite commonly are part of that.

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360,000 veterans may have brain injuries

WASHINGTON — Pentagon officials estimated for the first time Wednesday that up to 360,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans may have suffered brain injuries. Among them are 45,000 to 90,000 veterans whose symptoms persist and warrant specialized care.

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A marksman in Iraq; No gun permit in Omaha

echaley, 32, has received counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder related to his service in Iraq. While completing an application for a gun permit, he responded "yes" to a question that asked whether he was being treated for a mental disorder.

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'Party' Drug Could be PTSD Treatment

If you discovered it in your kid’s room there’d be hell to pay. If it appeared in a random urinalysis, it could end your career. And if you told your friends you were considering taking it, they might think you’ve suffered a mid-life crisis.

But a South Carolina psychiatrist and a Harvard-educated researcher are looking for veterans who’ve been through hell and are willing to explore a fresh way of getting past the trauma using a drug long associated with the late-night party crowd.

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Post-Traumatic Stress Tied to Increased Suicide Risk

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases the risk of suicide in young adults, says a U.S. study of 1,698 participants who were tracked for 15 years after they started first grade in Baltimore public schools.

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PTSD in Inner City Hikes Suicide Risk

Suicide risk among urban young adults was nearly tripled in the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder -- itself a common feature of inner-city life, researchers here found.

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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in War Veterans Domestic Violence Disaster

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder doesn't just affect troops returning from Iraq or Afghanistan, it can affect anyone who has been placed in a life threatening position. This can include survivors of sexual assault, natural disasters and domestic violence among other major crimes or natural occurrences.

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