The Continuing Plight of Our Female Veterans

By Ginny Estupinian

According to some reports there have been more than 230,000 American women who have fought in our recent wars with at least 120 having died.  Sadly, for the most part the American public is not aware of the contributions these women have provided on the modern day battlefield.

Yet, many of these women suffer from the same disabilities that men are afflicted with when returning from war such as post traumatic stress disorder.

The statistics show that female service members have much higher rates of divorce and are more likely to be a single parent. The VA Medical centers report that these veterans also show higher rates for military sexual trauma, meaning they indicated experiencing sexual harassment, assault or rape.  As pointed out in a previous post on this blog, some studies have shown that female veterans are at a greater risk for homelessness.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs committee, explained it best when she states, “What worries me is that women themselves still don’t see themselves as veterans, so they don’t get the care they need for post- traumatic stress syndrome or traumatic brain injury or even sexual assault. which obviously is more unique to women, so we still have a long ways to go”.

The work to help these veterans can not only fall on the shoulders of our elected officials. It also falls upon us as citizens to make their concerns a priority. Perhaps as a citizen we too can acknowledge the work and commitment of these brave women when we see them in public, and thank them personally for their service. It will not solve the problems mentioned here, but it is a start in the right direction.

How a letter can wreck your emotional stability

By Ginny Estupinian

The Associated Press and other news organizations reported that at least 1800 veterans across the country mistakenly received a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs telling them that they had Lou Gerhrig’s disease. The letter was intended to notify the recipients of the benefits that they were now entitled to as a result of having this disease. Evidently the letters were sent by mistake due to a coding error.

Lou Gerhring’s disease is officially know as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.

Half of all people affected with ALS live at least three or more years after diagnosis. Statistics show that twenty percent live five years or more; up to ten percent will live more than ten years.

So how can a letter affect someone psychologically?

Well a lot depends on the individual who receives this type of letter. Some will receive it and think there must be a mistake and for all intensive purposes just move on with their lives. For others, it may be a whole different experience. Those veterans who are dealing with trust issues and may not be as strong mentally, receiving this kind of notification can put them under a great deal of stress. After all the letter is coming from a recognized and trusted source of medicine. For many veterans their only health treatment comes through the VA. Therefore, receiving something like this with this authority has some serious weight.

The important thing here to stress is that any veteran who has been affected by this type of error, or similar errors, and feels stress should not ignore their feelings. Getting help is important and should be done sooner than later. There are many resources through the VA and other agencies that can help any veteran get the support and treatment they need.

New Study Shows Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Linked to Heart Disease and Diabetes.

By Ginny Estupinian

A new study published in the journal BMC Medicine has demonstrated that there is a significant association between metabolic  syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder.  Metabolic syndrome is the name used to identify a cluster of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing  obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.  Some studies estimate that over 50 million Americans are affected by this syndrome. This study focused on the link between veterans  and individuals who were exposed to severe trauma and the development of these health care risks.

Dr. Pia Heppner of the Veterans Affairs of San Diego stated that the research suggest that stress and post-stress responses are related to long-term health outcomes. These findings therefore suggest that metabolic  syndrome provides a useful framework for assessing and describing the physical burden of PTSD and can be useful in evaluating  the health risks that may be associated with combat exposure and PTSD.

New Report Shows the Importance of Screening for Brain Injury

By Ginny Estupinian

On Thursday the Institute of Medicine released their report recommending that returning Iraq war  veterans be evaluated for traumatic brain injury.  Some 5,500 military personnel have suffered brain injuries ranging from mild to severe. These wounds account for an estimated 22 percent of all casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq.  This rate is twice the amount of the Vietnam war. Experts attribute this increase in part due to the advancements in on-site medical care and body armor that has increased the survival rate of ground troops. In the past a lot of these injuries would have killed these troops but due to medical advancements they now survive. The challenge is finding a way to treat the brain injuries.

Many of the brain injuries are a result of the high impact of roadside bombs. Veterans who have been involved in high impact blasts often complained of persistent, disabling symptoms like sleeplessness, dizziness, and confusion.  At times these disorders can resemble other disorders like post-traumatic stress which can complicate psychological assessments.

Post-military monitoring of these returning veterans is another important key issue. Researchers have observed a trend where people with brain injuries proceed for years in a stable condition and then suddenly suffer dramatic drops in mental and physical capacities.  Many medical professionals have found brain injury can manifest in more severe ways when a service member switches to a less structured lifestyle.

The National Guard announced that it has launched an effort to screen every one of its Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. The only concern is that the people doing the screening are warning that it is a long process.

It is my view that the screening needs to be done and that processes have to be created to take care of our veterans. There is no other choice and ignoring the problem will not make it go away or diminish the pain suffered by these veterans.

New Report Shows Gulf War Illness Is Real

By Ginny Estupinian

In 2002 Congress created The Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veteran’s Illnesses to investigate whether or not there Gulf War illness exists. This was the first report review the hundreds of U.S. and international studies on Gulf War veterans since the mid 1990’s.

For the past 17 years veterans suffering from this illness would complain of a combination of memory and concentration problems, persistent headaches, fatigue, and widespread pain.  Other characteristics include skin rashes, chronic digestive and respiratory problems

The report that was released today stated that at least one in four U.S. veterans of the 1991 Gulf war suffers from multiple symptoms cause by exposure to toxic chemicals. Previously government officials had denied the existence of any illness and attributed these conditions to the effects of wartime stress.

The report stated that “the extensive body of scientific research now available consistently indicates that Gulf War illness is real, that it is the result of neurotoxic exposure during the Gulf War deployment, and that few veterans have recovered or substantially improved with time”.

The panel reported that they believe that the pesticides and pyridostigmine bromide (PB) aimed at thwarting the effects of never gas were most likely the causes of the illness.

Some Returning Veterans are at Higher Risk for Alcoholism

By Ginny Estupinian

In my last post I discussed s few studies that identified the increase in post traumatic stress disorder as a direct result of the amount of exposure to combat zones.  Now another study is showing that abuse of alcohol is also an accompanying problem that increases with exposure to combat zones.

In this study on alcohol abuse, returning service members who has seen combat were 63% more likely to experience excess drinking and binge drinking than those individuals who were in non-combat zones.  To put this in prospective, the CDC defines excess drinking as more than two drinks daily for men and one drink a day for women .

As was reported in my previous post the studies here also showed that the incidence rate for Reserve or National Guard members are higher compared to members in other military branches.

A separate study on excess alcohol intake lists additional dangers to abusing alcohol as including a greater chance of developing metabolic  syndrome, which includes obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

The researchers suggested that returning soldiers  often use  alcohol as a coping mechanism to help them deal with stress and depression .  The researchers  went on to suggest that one way to help these returning soldiers is to provide them with a  familiar and supportive network of trusted family, friends, or fellow veterans. The idea is to provide other places to meet rather than at a bar.

As the studies have shown the best support comes from fellow veterans who have had similar experiences.

New Studies Show that The Mental Health Impact increases with time in combat.

By Ginny Estupinian

In a recent meeting of the American Psychological Association in Boston, various reports were presented that clearly showed the correlation between the amount of time soldiers  spend in combat and the subsequent development of symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder and depression.  Although on first blush this may appear to be obvious what is different is that these studies looked at the increase in mental health problems specific to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

One report showed that in a typical unit headed to Iraq, 60% were on their second, third or fourth tour of duty.  Each of these tours usually last about a year in duration and as the amount of tours increase the potential risk for developing mental health issues increases.  The office of the U.S. Army Surgeon General stated that in their observations,  by their third tour more than a quarter of the soldiers begin to show signs of mental health problems.

In another report funded by the Pentagon and produced by RTI International,  found that in a survey of 34,000 active duty troops, (made up of reservists, and National Guard members deployed ) reservists had the highest rates of traumatic stress symptoms and of “seriously” considering suicide.

This report was further supported by a Veterans Affairs Analyses that showed that there were 115 Amy suicides and 935 reported attempts in 2007. The report showed that National Guard and reservists sent to Iraq and Afghanistan made up the majority of the returning veteran suicides.  Sadly, this is a new record high.

The National Veterans Foundation which runs a crises hotline reported that about 75%of the 400 calls a week  come from reserve and national Guard troops or their families.

Although these studies and reports are important  we must remember that  it is not just the stress that comes from combat that is affecting these soldiers.  In many cases it is also the stress that comes from the current economic conditions.  At times these mental health challenges fall on top of other serious economic problem that many families are struggling with.

Sleep Problems affecting Veterans

By Ginny Estupinian

A federal study showed that one of the problems that many veterans returning from war deal with is lack of sleep and wakefulness issues. Among the problems associated are reoccurring nightmares that simply make sleep a major difficulty.

On Tuesday August the 12th at noon PST, a  FREE web chat is scheudled.  This chat will include experts from the Veterans Adminsitration who will not only talk about the issues but answer questions live. On the chat will be Dr. Thomas C. Neylan, director of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Program at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and Steve Woodward, director of the Sleep Research Laboratory at the VA’s National Center for PTSD in Palo Alto

You can find more information about the chat by going to:www.latimes.com/sleepchat.

The Increasing Plight of Homeless Female Veterans

By Ginny Estupinian

 

Many times when we think of homeless veterans the first thing that comes to mind are male veterans and we don’t read or hear much about the female veterans who become homeless.  However, According to some records there are currently an estimated 8,000 homeless female veterans nationwide, and the numbers are expected to increase as more women veterans return from the war.

 

The obvious question is why would these returning veterans be at risk for homelessness?

Some veteran’s advocates have stated that the main risk factors for homelessness include combat related stress and military sexual trauma. Adding to the problem is the fact that currently it is estimated that 70% of women veterans have children. This means that instead of finding shelter for just one person it is now necessary to find shelter for two or more in the same facility.

 

One way to assist veterans who find themselves homeless is to provide a temporary or transitional housing facility. In these transitional housing programs veterans can stay on average for a year, getting the skills and counseling they need while waiting for a housing voucher to move into more permanent housing.

 

According to the U.S. Department of veterans affairs there are currently 550 transitional housing programs for male veterans in the country but only 300 of these programs can accept women. As you can imagine there is a waiting list for these transitional housing services.

 

The VA officially recognizes this problem and is making available more grants outside the VA system to develop more of these housing programs for homeless female veterans. At the same time several bills have been introduced in Congress including development of affordable housing for female veterans and linking the VA with the Department of Defense to identify returning soldiers who are at risk of homelessness.

 

Nevertheless, the problem will get worse as the need and numbers of these female veterans increase. My concern is that the solutions presented may be too limited and take too long to implement given the totality of the problem.

A NEW FREE Mental Health Service for Veterans and Their Families

By Ginny Estupinian

 

A nonprofit organization by the name of Give an Hour Foundation has formed a network of about 1200 licensed professionals that have donated an hour a week to counsel service members and their families for free.

 

The goal of this group is to enroll 40,000 mental health professionals who will then donate their services to individual veterans, veterans groups, and their families.

 

Dr. Barbara Romberg, the president of the organization, has stated that among the various issues that these professionals will deal with is the serious affects of Post Traumatic Stress disorder. The goal is to not only to help veterans, but also provide support for the families. The hope is that by addressing the issues early on, PTSD does not turn into a chronic illness.

 

Supporting the efforts of this group is the Eli Lilly foundation who donated $1million to support the organization’s outreach programs including providing for public awareness campaigns and the recruiting of mental health professionals.

 

To find more information about the services as well as a potential mental health professional in your area visit www.giveanhour.org