Brain and Spine Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Titolo Law Firm : Las Vegas, Nevada

More attention has been paid to the mental health of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan than in any previous war. Yet shame remains a significant barrier to military personnel and their families getting the psychiatric treatment they need, a report released Wednesday says.

Time Magazine reports today on the American Psychiatric Association's study that veterans are attaching a stigma to the psychiatric afftects of the war.  This is a function of educating the public and veterans about the reality of brain and mental injury.

The good news is nearly three-quarters of the 200 military men and women interviewed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) said that it was very or somewhat easy for them to seek out mental health care. But 60% still feared that doing so could have negative consequences on their career. More than half reported they believe others would think less of them if they sought out counseling, and most surveyed said they have rarely or never spoken even to family and friends about mental health issues. These numbers show "there's still a long way to go towards reducing the stigma surrounding care," says APA board member Dr. Mary Helen Davis.

Click here to read the whole article.

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After legislation to reauthorize the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Act successfully passed by Congress last week, the bill still needs to be considered by the President for his signature into law. The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) anticipates this consideration will occur in the very near future.

This week saw major activity occur on H.R. 5613, legislation recently introduced which would place a moratorium until March 2009 on seven Medicaid regulations issued by the Department of Health and Human Services. On Wednesday, the bill was unanimously approved by the full House Energy and Commerce Committee, setting up a potential veto showdown with the White House. BIAA has strongly endorsed this legislation and submitted an official letter of endorsement to the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Dingell (D-MI) and Rep. Murphy (R-PA), last week.

Also this week, The Rand Corporation published an important comprehensive study of the mental health and cognitive needs of U.S. servicemembers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. This groundbreaking study - which focuses specifically on the post-deployment health-related needs and economic costs associated with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression and TBI - estimates that 320,000 servicemembers may have experienced TBI as a result of recent combat operations.

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A new 5 year study is underway to determine how to recognize and treat post traumatic brain stress disorder.

Military and civilian researchers from across Texas will be involved in a five-year study of the best way to detect and treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

The $33 million project will be led by the University of Texas Health Science Center and open to soldiers serving or being treated at Texas military installations, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

Few studies have been conducted that look for the best way to treat veterans and active duty personnel, said Alan Peterson, a retired U.S. Air Force psychologist and health science center professor.

The study will evaluate current forms of the standard treatment and medications. In addition, it will include neuro-imaging to observe changes in brain and genetic studies to search for genes that may place some people at greater risk for the disorder.

Read more from the United Press International.

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Why is it that when a group of soldiers share a horrific battle experience, some are able to work through it and get on with their lives while others suffer the persistent anxiety, emotional numbness and bomb-blasted nightmares of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

The answer, researchers have long believed, is that an individual's response to trauma — whether in battle, or as result of a natural disaster, a violent crime or some other horror — depends not only on the intensity of that trauma but also on a complex interplay of past experiences and genetic factors. A new paper, published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, provides remarkable support for this explanation and identifies a specific gene that influences susceptibility to PTSD.

Read the whole Time Article by clicking here http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1723204,00.html?xid=rss-health

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 Time magazine reports that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder risk is elevated in situations where a concussion occurs.  But not all concussions result in PTSD and not all PTSD requires concussion.

The article, along with the many others since the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, have brought the focus on brain injury and related issues into the public forum.  I hope this "awakening" will help educate lawyers, insurance companyies, Judges and juries about the very real "unseen" injury.

To read the article click here.

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The ongoing efforts in the news to prevent and treat veterans brain injuries continue. 

Researchers from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) are pursuing efforts to find new ways to prevent and treat the increasing numbers of combat troops who are suffering from injuries due to traumatic brain injury (TBI). University research teams are also leading efforts to better diagnose and manage post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Of the more than 20,000 service members who have sustained injury in the war in Iraq, TBI from improvised explosive devices (IED) is the most common injury. In addition to efforts to better treat those with such injuries, the university is increasing the focus on diagnosing and treating PTSD. Currently, there is no single test to diagnose either TBI or PTSD. However, researchers at USU are studying the physical and behavioral consequences of moderate and severe TBI to characterize each injury and examine methods of identification and management. The TBI research focuses on injury caused by blasts of air following an explosion and attempts to promote recovery by using anti inflammatory medication and sensory stimulation to regenerate brain cells and growth of brain tissue.

To read the full article click here.

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