BETHESDA, MD—The science into the biological mechanisms behind the psychological symptoms of PTSD is still in its infancy, but studies have linked PTSD to other serious health problems, including cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, fatigue, and metabolic disorders. Research funded by NIH is suggesting that the cause of this link might have its roots in endocrine and immune function differences in patients with PTSD and most significantly in those with co-morbid major depressive disorder.

WASHINGTON, DC—Veterans and servicemembers may be able to help each other overcome stigma in seeking psychological help, officials said during a webinar on combating stigma in the military hosted by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE).

WASHINGTON, DC—Servicemembers, veterans, and their families will need to look no further than their smart phone for help in monitoring their emotional health.

NEW YORK CITY, NY—The student sitting across from you is withdrawn, a little hostile, and tired all the time. He has missed assignments, been repeatedly absent, and when he does show up for class, he sometimes falls asleep mid-lecture. If you begin the conversation from a place of compassion and concern, you will eventually be able to convince him to go see someone at the counseling center on campus. If you aggressively confront him about his grades, he will shut down and the session will end with the student no better off.

This scenario is part of a training simulation called At-Risk®, designed by Kognito Interactive, and it is played out on a computer using avatars. In the simulation, you play the part of the professor, with the goal of recognizing students who are suffering from psychological distress and directing the simulated conversation in such a way that they agree to seek help.

WASHINGTON, DC—The first design project Patricia Moore undertook was to build a touch-sensitive lamp for her grandfather, a veteran whose fingers were no longer able to grip and twist the switch on his lamp.

WASHINGTON, DC—DoD is providing new online training to its medical personnel for administering deployment mental health assessments to deploying and returning servicemembers.

WASHINGTON, DC—DoD should establish a suicide prevention policy office at the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) level that disseminates best practices in suicide prevention to the field, a DoD task force set up to examine suicide prevention in the military found.

WASHINGTON, DC—In March 2008, when federal officials were quoting a wide range of numbers when citing the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a book was published that calculated an estimated total price tag that included the cost of OEF/OIF veterans’ healthcare and disability expenses over their lifetime. The book, The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict, put the total estimated cost at between $3 trillion and $5 trillion—a figure that Congressional reports later agreed with.

WASHINGTON, DC—“I said I didn’t have a personality disorder, and he told me if I signed the paperwork that I would get back home and get help and I would have all my benefits. After the endless nights of sleep deprivation, harassment, and abuse, I finally signed just to get out of there. I was broken.” This is how Spc Chuck Luther described his last few months serving with the First Squadron, Seventh Cavalry Regiment of the US Army to members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee last month.