Bill to help first responders fight PTSD moves forward in Florida Legislature
WFTV 9 News
Updated: Mar 3, 2017
Mental health workers now believe more law enforcement officers die from PTSD-related suicide than violent crime,
ORLANDO, Fla. - A bill filed two weeks ago in the Florida Senate now has a companion bill in the House, bringing help for first responders dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder a step closer in the state.
First responders have to deal with situations and see things that most people never will, Dr. Deborah Beidel, a University of Central Florida psychology professor, said.
Tragedies like the Pulse nightclub massacre have a lasting effect on first responders and it is important to treat psychological trauma as you would physical injuries, she said.
“Just as physical injuries may affect the body, having to witness some of the events that happen in these types of trauma certainly create psychological stress,” Beidel said. “We like to think of it as a stress injury.”
The bills making their way through the legislature would make it easier for first responders to get time off and get mental health treatment.
Currently, state law does not require workers’ compensation cover PTSD issues because it’s not a physical injury.
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Fort Bragg soldier shot by wife during dispute, police say
Fay Observer
By Nancy McCleary, Staff writer
March 2, 2017
HOPE MILLS — A Fort Bragg soldier was shot in the back Wednesday evening during a domestic dispute with his wife, who also is an active-duty soldier, Hope Mills police said Thursday.
Officers responding to a reported shooting on the 4100 block of Edward E. Maynor Drive found Jonathan Coleman, 39, with a gunshot wound to his upper left back, Chief Joel Acciardo said in an email Thursday morning.
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This veteran went from living in his car to graduating college
USA Today
Brooke Metz
March 2, 2017
Zack Cleghorn with his diploma from East Carolina University. (Photo: provided by Zack Cleghorn)
Four years ago, Zack Cleghorn was living in his car.
After returning home from a seven-year tour as a Marine in Japan, Afghanistan and the U.S., Cleghorn worked as a car salesman for several months to make ends meet. But he struggled with PTSD and depression.
“There was a time I didn’t want to wake up in the morning,” says Cleghorn, 28.
College, which no one in his family had attended, seemed like the best way to move forward. So he moved in with a friend and enrolled at Pitt Community College in Winterville, North Carolina, on a scholarship. Thanks to his financial aid package, he was able to pay for an apartment while he took classes.
Two years later, Cleghorn transferred to East Carolina University to finish his degree in industrial engineering technology. He graduated in December and, last week, received his diploma.
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Army veteran dad making 10-year-old son's final months memorable
FOX News
March 3, 2017
Ayden Zeigler-Kohler was diagnosed with DIPG after collapsing during a football practice. (Ayden Zeigler-Kohler Fund by Shay Weber - GoFundMe)
Seven months ago, 10-year-old Ayden Zeigler-Kohler was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor and given between eight and 12 months to live. His Pennsylvania-based family spent the first few months frantically searching for a clinical trial aimed at beating diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), but has since decided to focus on helping Ayden enjoy the time he has left.
DIPG brain tumors are highly aggressive and notoriously difficult to treat, and, due to their placement on the brain stem, affect breathing, blood pressure and heart rate.
Kohler, who struggled after returning from Iraq, told the news outlet that Ayden’s birth saved his life, and that the two are inseparable, often finding solace in the woods while hunting.
“I was a medic in the war, you know, and you fix things,” Kohler told the Statesman Journal. “And this was something I couldn’t even touch.”
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Study of U.S. Navy healthcare personnel finds higher PTSD risk among women than men
News Medical Life Sciences
March 2, 2017
The researchers reviewed gathered data from the deployment records and post-deployment health assessments of more than 4,200 men and women who served in the U.S. Navy and supported military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A study of U.S. Navy healthcare personnel has shown that when comparing the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among women and men who had similar deployment experiences, and especially combat experience, the risk of PTSD was significantly higher among women.
PTSD risk rose for both men and women with an increasing number of combat exposures, as reported in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Women's Health website until April 1, 2017.
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