News

The Role of Talk Therapy in the Treatment of Service Members (Part 1)

Harold Kudler, chair of the SVI, offered the following discussion on the members list a few months ago on the interplay between talk therapy and biological treatments especially as it applies to service members and veterans. His discussion has broader implications for psychoanalysts. His discussion is worth reading again and preserving.

A Preview of the January 2014 SVI Meeting

As has become traditional, the Service Members and Veterans Initiative holds an open meeting at APsaA's National Meeting in January. This year’s meeting is on Wednesday from 12-1:30. All interested meeting attendees are welcome. This year, the SVI meeting will feature a discussion of Harold Kudler's essay, What is PTSD…And Who is it For? Dr.

First Public Showings of Lost 1945 Gene Kelly Movie on Combat Fatigue

In 1945, actor Gene Kelly, then a Navy Lieutenant, directed and starred in a Navy training film called Combat Fatigue Irritability.  To get a feel for his role, Kelly had himself admitted to a Navy hospital, posing as a sailor suffering combat fatigue.  Distribution of the film, like many military training films, was restricted.

New VA Regulations Link Five Diseases to TBI

According to a story in the December 7 issue of the Military Times, The Department of Veterans Affairs will add five medical conditions that, if diagnosed in conjunction with documented brain injury, will automatically confer "service connected" status. 

This new regulation will speed the process for some veterans in obtaining benefits. 

Local Programs Give a Psychoanalytic Voice to Welcoming Home Service Members and Veterans

The stories are becoming tragically familiar: statistics for military and veteran suicides rival combat as a cause of death among those who have served. Return to civilian life can be problematic for many veterans and their loved ones – at best, it is a significant readjustment stress for everyone involved. The civilian population continues in its denial of the stark fact it has been supporting and funding one of the longest wars in U.S. history.

The Warrior Canine Connection

An organization called Warrior Canine Connection has hit on something and the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs are taking notice.  Meg Daley, a researcher, and Rick Yount, a VA clinician in California, were pioneers in discovering that the emotional bond that a service member forms with a dog can lead to significant amelioration of PTSD.  The program provides service dogs to veterans.

Institute of Medicine Report on PTSD: Where Are Human Relationships?

The Institute of Medicine released an important report on the progress of the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs in treating service members and veterans with PTSD.

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