|
NH Bremerton Co-Sponsors PTSD Training
Story Number: NNS050126-08
Release Date: 1/26/2005 7:18:00 AM
By Journalist Seaman Tara Cornett, Navy Region Northwest Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Naval Hospital Bremerton and Madigan Army Medical Center sponsored joint training Jan. 12-13 to arm mental health providers in the Pacific Northwest with a more rapid approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a method to treat people who have disturbing or traumatic memories, by mimicking the brain’s natural way of processing information by using eye movements or other types of bilateral stimulation. This treatment is the most rapid of the four recommended treatments for PTSD and is being focused on because it is the only one that is effective for acute stress disorder, which is one of the early stages of PTSD.
"Sixty percent of people with acute stress disorder go on to develop PTSD, so the idea is to treat it early and stop the majority of those people from going on to develop PTSD," said Cmdr. Mark Russell, clinical psychologist and head of the mental health department at Naval Hospital Bremerton.
The training gave mental health providers cutting edge tools to help service members returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom and many more veterans of war.
"It has become more of a highlight because we're seeing people who are coming back from Operation Iraqi Freedom and they are looking for effective treatments," said Russell, "something that's rapid, something that the effects can be seen fairly quick and allows the person to be restored to duty."
The idea is to teach mental health providers this treatment, that in the future can be used on the battlefield to provide service members treatments before it becomes a more serious problem.
"I'm pleased with the progress of the training and maybe even a bit impatient to get the word out even further than where it is already," said Russell.
For more news from around the fleet, visit the Navy NewsStand at www.news.navy.mil.
E-mail this story to a friend | Send
a comment about this story
|
|
