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Welcome
to the Southwest Prevention Center's
Prevention News
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During this
Holiday Season, we need to pause for reflection on the many blessings
Americans enjoy. Among, those are the freedoms of expression
and worship, rights protected by the most powerful, volunteer
military force in the world. Our military is composed of the
best and most brave young men and women in America. During this
time of war, we need to stop and recognize the emotional and physical
"price" they are paying to keep America and the World more
safe. One of those "emotional costs" is Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) brought on by the everyday
experiences related to  serving in Iraq
and Afghanistan. To help you better understand their emotional
challenges, we are dedicating this December issue to our Military
Families and their struggle with PTSD.
-Happy
Holidays, The SWPC Family
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Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder and Substance Abuse
Posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) is a condition arising from the experience of threatening or
dangerous event(s), such as a violent attack, a life-threatening
accident, or a natural disaster. The disorder manifests itself in
several ways with symptoms ranging from difficulty functioning on a
social or occupational level to the reliving or re-experiencing of the
trauma. Symptoms typically surface within several months of the trauma,
but can take years to develop. Typically, a diagnosis of PTSD means the symptoms have existed in an
individual for at least one month.
 Recently, much of the concern
surrounding PTSD has involved veterans returning from Iraq and
Afghanistan who are experiencing this condition as a result of war-time
stress. Often the impact of PTSD on these soldiers leads them to abuse
alcohol or other substances. A study in a 2008 Journal of the American
Medical Association found that "Reserve and National Guard
personnel and younger service members who deploy with reported combat exposures
are at increased risk of new-onset heavy weekly drinking, binge
drinking, and alcohol-related problems" (Jacobson, et al., 2008).
This past October, at the 4th
Annual Southwest Prevention Convention, Patricia Getty, Ph.D., the
Acting Branch Chief for the Performance and Technical Assistance Branch
at the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), provided a
workshop on the topic of PTSD. The presentation provided valuable
insights regarding the symptoms of PTSD as they specifically apply to
soldiers (see chart below), as well as the challenges related to
providing them mental health and substance abuse services. In her
presentation, Dr. Getty addressed:
identifying the needs of soldiers, challenges to meeting those
needs, and what can be done to help. One of Dr. Getty's suggestions was
to develop a "multi-pronged community effort". This strategy
would create awareness programs that shed light on the issue of PTSD,
and coordinate efforts between
public and private entities who provide services to returning veterans
and their families. This combined effort would make the presence of
PTSD more identifiable and help to provide better services to those in
need of them.
The remainder of Dr. Getty's
presentation can be found at the SWPC website (see link below).
Additional resources are also listed below.
Getty, P. (2008). Returning veterans and
their families: Prevention in the foreground. 4th Annual Southwest
Prevention Convention . Dallas, TX: Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration.
Jacobson, I.G., Ryan, M.A.K., Hooper,
T.I., Smith, T.C., Amoroso, P.J. et al. (2008). Alcohol use and
alcohol-related problems before and after military combat deployment. Journal of the American Medical
Association, 300 (6), 663-675.
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SAMHSA OAS report
SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies (OAS) has just released The NSDUH
Report: Trends in Substance Use, Dependence or Abuse, and
Treatment among Adolescents: 2002 to 2007, a 3 page short
report based on SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use & Health
(NSDUH) that provides data on the yearly prevalence of cigarettes, alcohol,
illicit drugs, marijuana, nonmedical use of prescription-type drugs,
and inhalant in the past month by youth as well as the percentage who
met the criteria for alcohol or illicit drug dependence or abuse.
This is important information for persons tracking trends in
substance use, dependence, and treatment among youth.
FIND
IT AT:
http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/youthTrends/youthTrends.cfm
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DECEMBER
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Dec 12-13
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CPS Exam
Register by
10/17/08
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JANUARY
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Jan 12-16
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SAPST Training [Lubbock, TX] |^|
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Jan 7
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*Service to Science Application Due |^|*
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FEBRUARY
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Feb 5
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Ethics Training [Austin, TX] |^|
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Feb 6
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CPS Prep Course [Austin, TX] |^|
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Feb 16 & 17
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Service to Science [Dallas, TX] |^|
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MARCH
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Mar 9-13
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SAPST Training [McAllen, TX] |^|
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APRIL
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Ap 27-May 1
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SAPST Training [Dallas, TX] |^|
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|^| = Click for the Website to each
Event
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