By Gary Maguire, M.Sc., P.T.

PhysioSympath: The Path to Resilience © 

 

Welcome to Military Network’s new PTSD section.  Articles that appear in this section are aimed at reducing the stigma of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), strengthening resilience and providing new strategic solutions for PTSD treatment.

Emerging neurophysiology and physiotherapy medical devices are being developed to support mental healthcare professionals.  Your comments and feedback are welcome to improve the newsletter.

During the past two weeks PhysioSympath© advanced the Path to Resilience with participation in the Defense Centers of Excellence (DCoE): Building Bridges Collaboration.  This collaboration is a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary collaborative group whose purpose is to support the PH and TBI needs of military.  The primary focus of this collaboration is improving mental healthcare and reintegration.  Currently there is a high interest presently in advancing this for veterans and military personnel.

The Building Bridges Collaboration Webinar hosted on February 26^th, 2010 provided PhysioSympath with a strategic point of contact (CDR Brenda Gearhart) for advancing mission objectives.  The Webinar presented an advocacy group that PTSD veterans and warriors should contact and utilize their support services.

·         The National Military Family Association (NMFA):  One of the NMFA’s primary objectives is: “In times of war and peace we speak for you. We work with—and testify before—Congress to fight for legislation important to military families, but more importantly, we help military families recognize their potential to be their own advocates.”  Contact NMFA and seek their support to advance PTSD treatment programs as well as championing PhysioSympath© mission objectives.  The website is: www.nmfa.org.

The DCoE also provides a fantastic resource center that is staffed 24/7 (resources@dcoeoutreach.com).  You can call, live chat or send email questions and their turnaround time and response to your questions are well researched and provide a wealth of information.  Call 866-966-1020 or visit the website at www.dcoe.health.mil.

The DCoE oversees six centers:

·         Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP)

Promotes the training of military and mental health professionals

·         Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS)

Provides knowledge, leadership and applications for recovering from disaster and trauma

·         Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center

Develops and delivers advanced TBI-specific treatment and surveillance

·         Deployment Health Clinical Center (DHCC)

Improves deployment-related health through assistance, treatment, advocacy and education

·         National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2)

Leverages technology to increase access and advance care for warriors and their families in all locations

·         National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE)

Dedicated to advanced research, diagnosis and treatment for psychological health (PH) and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)

 

The NICoE is scheduled to open this summer on the Bethesda Naval base in Maryland.  The temporary website is: http://www.bethesda.med.navy.mil/New_Directions/NICoE.pdf.  The Director of NICoE, James Kelley, M.D. was recently interviewed on the Military Health System’s award-winning podcast Dot Mil Docs. The 100^th Podcast with Dr. Kelly featured an in depth discussion of concussion and TBI, their signs and symptoms, treatment methods and how the DoD screens service members for them.  The podcast is accessed through: https://prototype.tma.osd.mil/535092/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%.

You should also consider signing up to receive a subscription to the DCoE: In Action Newsletter. Please go to this link: https://dcoemedia@tma.osd.mil

General Loree K. Sutton, M.D. the director of the DCoE indicates “our biggest challenge is overcoming the deadly barrier of stigma to embrace a transformed culture where seeking help for psychological health and traumatic brain injuries is seen as an act of courage and strength and NOT as a weakness.”

The Real Warrior Campaign (RWC) is a multimedia public education campaign designed to decrease the stigma associated with service members seeking psychological health treatment and encourage their awareness and use of available resources. If you would like to read more about the campaign please visit: http://www.realwarriors.net

PhysioSympath© has submitted a concept submission process that would seek to create an alternative but complimentary diagnosis for veterans and military personnel that would allow the option of avoiding status loss, discrimination, adverse attributes and a sense of disconnection between “us” and “them.” These are primary attributes of stigma. 

The concept is to utilize an innovative healthcare questionnaire that identifies veterans and warriors with distrust issues, noncompliance and worry regarding a diagnosis of PTSD.  This is achieved through the identification of innate social behaviors towards healthcare.

The use of this diagnosis would allow the Primary Care Clinician (PCC) to treat a patient under a diagnosis aimed at the physiologic dysfunction of the sympathetic nervous system (sympathetic derailment).  The treatment plan would consist of:  PhysioSympath Intervention© (neurophysiotherapy) and pharmacotherapy.  Patient care would then utilize “nudge economics” better known as behavioral economics to progress the patient towards accepting behavioral health (BH) services.

Optimal physiological functioning needs to occur prior to implementation of BH for these types of veterans and warriors to ensure functional outcome of healthcare services provided.

Copyright © 2010 Gary Maguire, M.Sc., P.T., PhysioSympath©.  All rights reserved.

Related posts:

1. PTSD and Neurophysiology [Vol 1/Num 4]
2. PTSD and Neurophysiology [Vol 1/Num 5]
3. PTSD and Neurophysiology [Vol 1/Num 6]
4. PTSD and Neurophysiology [Vol 1/Num 3]
5. PTSD and Neurophysiology