The Army is conducting "a wholesale re-examination" of soldiers whose post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis was reversed by the military hospital at Joint Base Lewis McCord, Army Sec. John McHugh said Wednesday at a Senate hearing.
CNN's Kyra Phillips revisits a woman who served in Iraq and struggles to cope with post traumatic stress disorder.
It wasn't until five months after Army Staff Sgt. June Moss returned from the Iraq war in 2003 that her real battle began. The horrors of the war -- witnessing decapitated and burned bodies amid mass destruction -- led to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Guitars for Vets is a volunteer organization dedicated to putting instruments in the hands of veterans with PTSD.
Alissa Welker would switch the lights on, off, on, off, on, off -- however many times it took to feel "right." When she was 9, she'd spend the equivalent of an adult workday doing these kinds of rituals. She also washed her hands excessively, avoided sick people and barely ate because she feared food poisoning.
I've been having a lot of panic attacks, almost every day; sometimes when I'm working, dealing with the kids or just nothing at all. I'll get shortness of breath, chest hurts on both sides or just one side, and a lot of my heart skipping a beat. And it scares me. I'm 29 years old and in good health. How can I control this?
Many people who experience chronic feelings of anxiety about social situations, work and relationships, or other aspects of everyday life often reach for a beer or a glass of wine to quell their unease.
It smacks of Fourth of July patriotism -- the poster with a big, panting golden retriever with an Uncle Sam hat and the slogan "Dog Bless America."
I have been harassed for many years at work due to the fact I am considered a disabled person. I can't do some jobs because I don't have the strength or endurance. People taunted me, saying stuff like saying I was a hypochondriac. They made me do work I couldn't physically do, and I'm harassed almost on a daily basis. During this time, I developed major depression, and last year I needed time off from work because of it. I feel I have some signs of PTSD because I can't work in certain areas of the plant I work in.
"I'm edging towards being a recluse, but choose daily to fight for release from this crippling prison."
CNN's Don Lemon talks to Dr. Mark Goulston about the new rule changes for troops suffering from PTSD.
Did the Air Force miss signs of PTSD as a pilot's life violently fell apart? CNN's Ed Lavandera investigates.
Air Force Maj. Chad Bushman vividly remembers the worst day of his life, the sound of handcuffs gripping his wrists as six military officers took him away and told him he faced criminal charges for abusing his wife.
A three-member Board of Inquiry is recommending that a veteran Air Force pilot who has post-traumatic stress disorder be discharged under honorable conditions, according to the pilot's attorney.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects more than the mind. The disorder may damage blood vessels and increase the risk of dying early, according to new research presented today at an annual meeting of the American Heart Association.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on the alarming suicide and hospitalization rates among U.S. troops.
His vivid memories from the battlefield won't go away: a Taliban surface-to-air missile striking a Chinook helicopter, killing everyone on board. The ensuing firefight that nearly killed him.
The Department of Veterans Affairs unveiled new regulations Monday making it easier for men and women who served in the armed forces to receive benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder.
If you want to understand the way prescription drugs are marketed today, have a look at the 1928 book, "Propaganda," by Edward Bernays, the father of public relations in America.
Herbal supplements containing kava or passionflower appear to be a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of anxiety, a new review of existing research suggests.
It was before the famous tent stint in Australia, the various drug suspensions, the holistic medicine, the Toronto Argonauts and the Redemption. In the summer of 2003, Ricky Williams was passing through New York on a media tour and we ended up talking. Williams said a few words about his football career, but then, candid as ever, he took the conversation on a hairpin turn and began to talk about his battles with mental illness.
Why is panic disorder classified as just a psychiatric condition when there are so many physical symptoms (some painful) that arise during the attack? They would occur whether in good/bad mood, or even asleep.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is making it easier for veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder to get benefits, a development President Barack Obama calls a "long overdue step."
Men diagnosed with anxiety in their late teens or early 20s are more than twice as likely to have heart disease or a heart attack later in life than their more laid-back peers, according to a new Swedish study.
In mid-interview for a new movie last week, actress Salma Hayek suddenly shrieked and scrambled out of her seat, over the shoulders of co-star Maya Rudolph sitting next to her. Clutching frantically at Rudolph and another co-star, Maria Bello, she uttered a blood-curdling scream, "Somebody do something!" Bello, also clearly unnerved at the sight of something off-camera, comforted Hayek as she teetered on the arm of a director's chair in 4-inch heels. "It's OK," Bello repeated, "We got you. Don't worry."
Potential cancer vaccine! Possible anxiety treatment! Scientific studies looking at potential therapies for physical and mental illness often sound exciting -- that is, until you read further and realize they're in mice.
Up to 31 percent of soldiers returning from combat in Iraq experience depression or post-traumatic stress disorder that affects their jobs, relationships, or home life, according to a new study by Army researchers.
I have been seeing a therapist for the past four months now. In that time she had diagnosed me with depression with symptoms of [Obsessive Compulsive Disorder]. She suggested I try medication but looking online I found a therapy called EMDR. I was wondering which is more effective: talk therapy plus medication or EMDR? I have never been on any type of antidepressants but I do have a history of various traumatic experiences. (I may have [post-traumatic stress disorder] as well).
I recently had a terrible experience in the hospital. After surgery, while I was still mostly under and groggy, someone came and pulled the tube out of my mouth rather roughly then inserted another tube without ever speaking one word. This trauma has left me with a rather large problem: I do not eat solid food anymore. I know that this is all in my head, but I cannot overcome this. I am on antidepressant med and have seen a throat specialist. Can anyone help?
The Defense Department has agreed to expedite the claims of possibly thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan military veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder but have been denied benefits, a veterans group announced Monday.
Post-traumatic stress is estimated to afflict more than 300,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, but until now, it's been labeled a "soft disorder" -- one without an objective biological path to diagnosis.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta treats a 15-day-old baby whose house collapsed upon her in the Haiti earthquake.
As Haitians struggle to recover from the devastation of Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake, mental health experts caution that the most severe psychological effects won't take form until individuals' situations stabilize.
Psychological trauma may leave a visible trace in a child's brain, scientists say.
I don't have a question. However, I would like to make a comment. I found the antidepressant Lamictal to be a godsend. I feel like a new person since I've been taking it. I also take Neurontin, which really takes the edge off. I feel for the person who can't find the right medicine. Don't give up, keep trying new drugs.
My 11-year-old daughter got a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) about six months ago. She is not currently on any medication but has been regularly seeing a therapist.
Post-traumatic stress disorder may be a condition of the mind, but research has implicated it in the ills of the body. Now, a new study suggests it may be associated with death after surgery.
Battling OCD
updated: Fri Aug 14 2009 11:45:00
As CNN.com's Elizabeth Landau reports, as many as four million Americans suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder.
Driving over a pothole may not be a big deal for most people, but for Jeff Bell, it was a source of endless frustration.
My husband has generalized anxiety disorder, and he always seems to bring up something he says he has seen me do or something I supposedly said when I cannot recall that ever happening. So my question is, can GAD cause a person to worry so much about something that he believes it happened?
Christina Pearson was half-bald at age 13. She just couldn't stop pulling her hair, and ended up taking out every lock from the tops of her ears to the crown of her head.
How can I calm myself down when anxiety strikes? I hate feeling nervous.
I have heard secondhand information about a drug that was originally developed as a heart medication. However, according to my friend, the medication was recently the subject of a peer-reviewed study that showed it to be effective as a beta blocker and useful for treatment of traumatic memories (PTSD, etc). If you have any information about the drug and the study, I would very much appreciate it, as I would like to read about it.
I suffered long-term verbal abuse and bullying at school for nearly six years. Recently a friend in the mental health field suggested that some behaviors I have begun to exhibit appear to correlate strongly with PTSD. Is it possible to develop PTSD from schoolyard bullying?
FSB: Fear of flyingupdated: Thu Mar 12 2009 17:07:00
The doors have closed and my seat belt is buckled tight. Flight attendants are rushing to close the overhead bins. I feel a lurch, and out the window I see the terminal recede as the plane taxis toward the runway. But I don't really notice any of this. My chest is pounding. My stomach is a churning pit - I'm nauseous. My shirt is drenched in sweat, and I can barely breathe.
When she heard news of the Continental Airlines plane that plunged into a house in suburban Buffalo, New York, on Thursday night, killing 50 people, Jenny Gomez experienced a familiar feeling creep deep within her psyche. "It definitely sparked those old feelings of anxiety," she said.
The Purple Heart medal, awarded to service members who have been physically wounded in combat, will not be given for a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, a Pentagon statement said.
I've started having terrible anxiety over the past month and it's starting to become debilitating. What can I do to calm myself down when I feel it start to build up?
The U.S. Army intentionally denied benefits to soldiers suffering from a widespread stress disorder after they returned from service in Iraq and Afghanistan, a veterans advocacy group charges in a suit filed Wednesday.
Meet an Iraq vet who nearly died from post-traumatic stress disorder on CNN's "Back From Battle" special, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET.
Walking through a crowded shopping mall can bring back memories of war. The shifting crowds, the jostle of passers-by and the din can all trigger Army Sgt. Kristofer Goldsmith's post-traumatic stress disorder.
Carol Ann Carnese never considered herself an anxious person. Except when it came to wet wood.
With thousands of vets experiencing PTSD, the military debates whether mental injuries merit its loftiest honor
The number of U.S. military personnel diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder jumped 47 percent in 2007 according to new statistics -- a change the Pentagon attributed to greater awareness and better record-keeping.
As child psychiatrists try to ban the import of toy guns, Arwa Damon reports on how violence affects Iraqi children.
Jo Hanna Schaffer's dog is more than a best friend. The 67-year-old veteran, a former Army medic, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and three years ago, she decided to get a service dog, a Chihuahua named Cody. Cody barks if someone is approaching from behind and cuddles with her when she is depressed.
Doggie therapyupdated: Fri Apr 04 2008 17:30:00
Meet Sergeant Boe, the latest addition to Camp Speicher in Northern Iraq. CNN's Michael Holmes reports.
The prosecution claims Michael McQueen was murdered, the defense says he committed suicide. Either way, the mental toll of combat may have been a key factor
A groundbreaking new study helps explain why some people succumb to post-traumatic stress disorder while others don't
Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, supported by much of the West, has launched Serbia on a grim and familiar trajectory of violent nationalism
Sgt. Ryan Kahlor has the same nightmare every time, a vision of walls painted in blood and fat, and men on top of houses, throwing pieces of Marines' bodies off rooftops. It's a vision he can't shake, because he lived through it while deployed to Iraq last year.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on a new study linking soldier concussions in Iraq to PTSD and depression.
Grounded by fearupdated: Fri Jan 25 2008 11:18:00
For those that suffer from a fear of flying, the British Airways Boeing 777 crash landing will not have been welcome news. After all, when planes fall out of the sky -- for what is still an unclear reason -- air travel seems more miracle than science.
Court TV Host: We're going to be talking to the founder and leader of the Oklahoma City Murrah Building Survivors' group, Dr. Paul Heath. Dr. Heath is a retired psychologist, who was on the fifth floor of the Murrah building when the bomb exploded. Almost immediately, he helped in efforts to calm and minister to victims and was a founder of the association of survivors. We're very fortunate to have him with us on the sixth anniversary of the the Oklahoma City bombing.
We want to believe in the happily-ever-after. That when the troops come home to the local high school band playing, families waiting, flags waving, the worst is over and they are finally free to begin tending to their lives, families and lawns. Everything that the American dream and the flag they've fought under is all about.
More than 25 percent of the homeless population in the United States are military veterans, although they represent 11 percent of the civilian adult population, according to a new report.
CNNMoney: Texas BP trial beginsupdated: Wed Sep 05 2007 07:28:00
It was the deadliest petrochemical industry accident in more than a decade, killing 15 people and injuring more than 170 others. The force of the blast shattered windows and walls miles away.
Army soldiers committed suicide last year at the highest rate in 26 years, and more than a quarter did so while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan
After spending a total of seven months in custody, the Tennessee woman who fatally shot her preacher husband in the back was released on Tuesday, her lawyer told CNN.
Can a landmark lawsuit filed by thousands of vets change the agency they claim has denied them care and compensation?
Frustrated by delays in health care, injured Iraq war veterans accused VA Secretary Jim Nicholson in a lawsuit of breaking the law by denying them disability pay and mental health treatment
Overwhelmed by the number of soldiers returning from war with mental problems, the Army is planning to hire more than 25 percent additional psychiatrists and other medical workers
Questions are raised about the mental state of the prison's senior officer just before the abuses there
More American women are closer to combat in Iraq than in any other modern war, and there are many unknowns about the mental health effects they may experience when they come home from the war zone.
More than 20,000 U.S. troops have been wounded so far as a result of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. But according to experts, more of them are surviving their injuries in comparison to past conflicts because of advances in military medicine, faster evacuations and better body armor.
A year after coming home from Iraq, AJ Jefferson is still fighting the war in eerie nightmares about the bomb that left him and two comrades seriously wounded.
The mental scars of war are often far more debilitating than the physical injuries that servicemen and women pick up during combat. But a new virtual war simulation aims to help veterans recover from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Read full story
The mental scars of war are often far more debilitating than the many physical injuries that servicemen and women pick up during combat. But a new virtual war simulation may help veterans recover from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Kacey Ruegsegger Johnson wants the Virginia Tech shooting survivors to know that their pain and anger and fear are normal. And she wants them to know it will get better.
Mustafa Karim, a fourth-grader, now lives with family members in a squalid camp in eastern Baghdad where displaced Shias go after fleeing their homes, often after relatives have been killed.
Nearly a third of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who received care from Veterans Affairs between 2001 and 2005 were diagnosed with mental health or psychosocial ills, a new study concludes.
Shannon Fleishman sat in her room at McLean Hospital, eyes shut tight, hands clenched together until her knuckles were white. She was shaking. I watched her and thought, "If I didn't know the truth, I'd think she was a cocaine addict who just ran out of drugs."
With U.S. troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, CNN.com wants to hear your stories. Whether deployed in the military or waiting on a loved one at home, these CNN.com readers sent us their stories and thoughts. And some sent photos. Here's a sampling of the responses, some of which have been edited.
The Army surgeon general is warning that the HBO documentary "Baghdad ER" is so graphic that military personnel watching it could experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Shannon Fleishman sat in her room at McLean Hospital, eyes shut tight, hands clenched together until her knuckles were white. She was shaking. I watched her and thought, "If I didn't know the truth, I'd think she was a cocaine addict who just ran out of drugs."
Fortune: Trouble in Prozacupdated: Mon Nov 28 2005 00:01:00
Can Prozac make you want to die? The idea seems strange, given that the drug and similar antidepressants are supposed to do just the opposite. Yet that is what Kimberly Witczak believes happened to...
(CNN) -- This month Richard is on a Quest for Fear.
Remember thisupdated: Tue Mar 22 2005 08:39:00
The capitals of all 50 states. The name of your second-grade teacher. The location of your keys.
The U.S. Army Thursday dropped its case against a soldier who was initially accused of cowardice after he suffered a panic attack when he saw the bloody corpse of an Iraqi on his second day in the war zone.
Almost two out of every 10 U.S. troops who have faced combat in Iraq may return with serious symptoms of depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, according to an unprecedented study.
Eli Lilly's flagging sales of Prozac could receive an un-expected boost this year. Anti-depressants, those wonder drugs of the '80s and '90s, are increasingly under attack amid questions about the...
A South Carolina psychiatrist said Wednesday he will immediately start recruiting patients after winning approval to conduct the first study testing MDMA -- better known as ecstasy -- as a therapeutic tool.
Marie LaTortue loves shopping the way Michael Jackson loves plastic surgery: truly, madly, deeply. Every few months, Marie goes on a binge, hitting the malls in a state of giddy determination, drop...
The death of nine-year-old Michael Adams-Conroy didn't seem at first like a signal event in medicine. It seemed like homicide.
Your servant was about to reach for a newsmagazine in the local stationery store when he suddenly found himself staring fascinatedly at an adjacent publication with the arguably grabbiest headline ...
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