His name is Valor. He's half Labrador retriever, half Great Dane, and goes everywhere with Sgt. Charles Hernandez. But Valor is more than a pet -- Hernandez considers the dog a personal physician.
A sergeant accused of killing five comrades at a combat stress clinic at a U.S. base in Iraq more than three years ago is mentally fit to stand trial on charges of premeditated murder, the Army said.
Is PTSD a legitimate defense or 'Get Out of Jail Free' card? Chris Lawrence takes you inside courtroom.
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.
Kyoko Ogawa wore the brave face the world associated with Japan's tsunami survivors.
Six months after Japan's disaster, tsunami victims recount the horror.
Anthony Koller's squad was ambushed in Iraq. He saw his friend die. He spent 14 months at war and returned home with a diagnosis that has become all too common for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans: post-traumatic stress disorder.
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."
Veteran and PTSD sufferer Chris Goener finds a new lease on life, thanks to his service dog and Puppies Behind Bars.
Celebrities and a medical researcher want to convince the Defense Department this week that meditation could help the increasing number of military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress.
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.
CNN's Martin Savidge takes a look at the emotional and psychological toll Japan's tsunami has had on survivors.
Since disaster struck the Japanese town of Rikuzentakata a month ago, Mayor Futoshi Toba has made hundreds of decisions.
I was bullied when I was in the first grade really badly, and on the last day that year (the end of the year was when it was at the worst), my sisters and I were taken from school and put into foster care for over a year because our parents had been neglecting us. I've been researching it, and I think I'm exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Would what happened to me be traumatic enough to cause PTSD?
CNN's Don Lemon talks to Dr. Mark Goulston about the new rule changes for troops suffering from PTSD.
An Iraqi judge on Sunday adjourned proceedings for a week in the case of a British contractor accused of killing two colleagues in Baghdad.
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.
My 17-year-old son, Will, lost his best friend two weeks ago; his friend killed himself in a very, very unexpected suicide. His friend was on the phone with my son, and evidently the friend told my son that he was going to kill myself. My son tried to stop him, but the kid shot himself. My son heard it all. My son is showing signs of PTSD along with depression -- nightmares, anger and irritability -- and he's had at least two panic attacks. I know he needs help that I can't provide, but he adamantly refuses. What can I do? Should I force him to see a psychologist?
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.
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.
As the rescue capsule brought each Chilean miner to the surface, they sprang from obscurity into the global spotlight -- a type of attention that they never sought.
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."
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.
Following a two-month ICU stay five years ago, I was told that I had many symptoms of PTSD. The near-death experience would have been enough to shake me up alone, but when I wound up with ICU delirium ... I don't know how long it lasted, it felt like years, and the hallucinations were worse than all of the surgeries and physical therapy put together. Worse than anything I have ever experienced. They were just too vivid, and my periods of lucidity were few and far between. I couldn't sleep soundly through the night for almost a year afterward.
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.
Julie Ellerton met Iraq war veteran John Stubbs by chance. He dropped by her Malibu, California, home one afternoon to spray for termites.
When Sergio Arias returned to civilian life in Oxnard, California, visions of war still haunted him.
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?
Army generals aren't known for talking about their feelings.
I am a 38-year-old woman who was a victim of date rape when I was 16. I have battled different forms of stress disorder/generalized depressive disorder off and on since. I've been doing well for some time, but now that my teenage daughter has started dating, I'm really falling apart. I'm always obsessively worrying about everything when it comes to my daughter, not just dating issues.
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.
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.
New data from a public health registry that tracks the health effects
of 9/11 suggest that as many as 70,000 people may have developed
post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the terrorist attacks
With thousands of vets experiencing PTSD, the military debates whether mental injuries merit its loftiest honor
Victims of disasters are told it's good to talk about your feelings. But a new study questions the benefits
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.
The number of troops diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder jumped by roughly 50 percent in 2007, the most violent year so far in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
CNN's John Roberts takes a look at a new study on military mental health.
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 therapy
updated: Fri Apr 04 2008 17:30:00
Meet Sergeant Boe, the latest addition to Camp Speicher in Northern Iraq. CNN's Michael Holmes reports.
On a good day, Keri Christensen spends the day watching her children. She prepares their meals, gets them ready for school and helps them with their homework.
CNN's Randi Kaye looks at women vets back from Iraq, but still fighting the battle. Tonight on AC 360.
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
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.
Time.com: Veterans Day in Courtupdated: Sat Jan 12 2008 11:00:00
After the Department of Veterans Affairs told them to wait their turn, veterans who bear the psychological scars of fighting the war on terror now have the chance to sue
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.
Veteran Ben Israel describes being homeless after he got out of the Army.
The former mayor of Atlantic City pleaded guilty Thursday to defrauding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs out of nearly $25,000 for false claims about his military service during the Vietnam War, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey.
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
Mary Winkler, the Tennessee woman convicted in April of voluntary manslaughter in the 2006 shooting death of her husband, preacher Matthew Winkler, was released from custody on Tuesday, her attorney told CNN.
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.
Do you take care of someone in your family with a chronic medical illness or dementia? Have you felt depression, anger or guilt? Has your health deteriorated since taking on the responsibility of caregiving? If your answer is yes to any one of these, you may be suffering from caregiver stress.
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.
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.
I hate to raise such an ugly possibility, but have you considered lunacy as an explanation? Craziness would make a certain amount of sense. I mean, you announce you are going to militarize the Mexican border, but you assure the president of Mexico you are not militarizing the border. You announce you are sending the National Guard, but then you assure everyone it's not very many soldiers and just for a little while.
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.
Bring surgical masks I was warned. Now I know why. The stench of decomposing bodies hangs heavy on the air in Balakot, a town in Pakistan's north-west province.
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.
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.
The judge in Kobe Bryant's sexual assault case Tuesday reaffirmed his earlier decision not to limit the scope of questioning about the sexual history of the woman who says the NBA star raped her.
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.
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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