PTSD and TBI awareness programs launched

PTSD and TBI awareness programs launched
By Charlie Reed, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Monday, November 5, 2007


Do you know a soldier who just isn’t acting like himself these days?

If so, he could be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury as a result of serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Recognizing the symptoms associated with PTSD and TBI should now be easier for soldiers and civilian employees thanks to a new mandatory awareness program the Army launched this summer. The one- to two-hour “chain-teaching” program should have been delivered to all units by their command in mid-October.

“I think the biggest thing with the chain teaching is that it kind of identifies symptoms that aren’t very apparent otherwise,” said Jeri Chappelle, spokeswoman for Europe Regional Medical Command. “Soldiers may be experiencing these symptoms and don’t know why they have them.”

Coupled with other efforts — such as Landstuhl Regional Medical Center’s new proposal to establish a TBI center — the awareness program shows military officials are devoting more resources to the two conditions, which affect up to 30 percent of downrange troops.
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