Reducing Self-stigma: Mental Health is as Important as Physical Health

One of service members’ most frequently cited barriers to mental health care is stigma, perceived shame or disgrace attached to something regarded as socially unacceptable. Nearly 60 percent of service members who have mental health symptoms do not seek care. While they may readily see a physician if they have a physical ailment, they often do nothing when it comes to their mental health.

The Mind, the Body, and Trauma: A Place for Complementary and Integrative Health Practices in the Treatment of PTSD

Complementary and integrative health (CIH) practices have gained traction in recent years as ways to support coping in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Broadly, CIH approaches focus on the connection between mind and body, and include practices such as:

Treating Post-traumatic Nightmares in the Military: Imagery Rehearsal Therapy

Nightmares and PTSD

Nightmares are one of the hallmark symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), though post-traumatic nightmares may exist independently and do not equate to a diagnosis of PTSD. Post-traumatic nightmares may be described as lengthy, detailed dreams in which the story line evokes intense fear, anxiety or other negative emotions. Many patients report that these nightmares involve trying to avoid or cope with some horrific danger that closely resembles a specific traumatic event.

Treating Unresolved Trauma in the Deployed Environment

For many, the phrase “deployment trauma” brings to mind images of combat: improvised explosive devices, taking small arms fire, or traumatic amputations and brain injuries. Over the last 10 years, direct exposure to combat during deployments has decreased. Nonetheless, treating trauma in the deployed environment remains an ever present challenge for military mental health practitioners. This blog will discuss why even objectively safe deployments trigger trauma and some questions to ask when considering whether to process trauma in the deployed environment.

Mental Health Takeaways from the New VA/DoD Pregnancy Clinical Practice Guideline

Pregnancy can impact all aspects of a mother’s well-being. While it’s an exciting time for many women, it’s also an emotional time. It can bring on mood changes from physical stresses, fatigue, changes in metabolism and hormones, as well as worries, such as about the costs and new responsibilities that come with being a parent. For service women, there are unique military-related concerns such as caring for the new baby if one or both parents gets deployed and meeting physical readiness standards after the baby is born.