Military matters: Emerging hormone-based pharmacological treatments for comorbid PTSD and alcohol use in ‎veterans: An update on science ‎ – MacKenzie R. Peltier, PhD, Terril L. Verplaetse, PhD, Sherry McKee, PhD, and Ismene Petrakis, MD

by ISTSS Blogs | Jun 28, 2023 | Military and Combat, StressPoints

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) commonly co-occur among ‎veterans.1,2 PTSD is related to increased alcohol use3,4 and hazardous alcohol use increases following combat ‎exposure.5,6 This reciprocal relationship contributes to...

What is the psychological impact of suicide exposure among active duty service members? – Schmied, Walter, Glassman, Jun, & Pippard

by ISTSS Blogs | Apr 3, 2023 | JOTS Highlights, Military and Combat

Despite concerted prevention efforts, military suicide rates have risen for more than a decade (Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center [AFHSC], 2014; Psychological Health Center of Excellence [PHCoE], 2020). While many risk and protective factors for suicide have...

Military Matters: Veteran Psychotherapy and the Use of Military Metaphor – Kenneth J. Thompson, PhD

by ISTSS Blogs | Mar 30, 2023 | Military and Combat, StressPoints

The use of military metaphor in the health sciences has been a topic of recurrent interest and debate for several decades. In that time, writers have decried how “wars” against such scourges as cancer, drugs, and, more recently the COVID-19 pandemic, can...

Military Matters: Not All Traumas are Created Equal: Phenotypic Heterogeneity of PTSD Symptoms in Relation to Index Traumas in U.S. Military Veterans – Lorig K. Kachadourian, Or Duek, Ilan Harpaz-Rotem, Robert H. Pietrzak

by ISTSS Blogs | Dec 15, 2022 | Military and Combat, StressPoints

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prevalent in military veterans and is associated with reduced mental and physical health functioning as well as overall quality of life (e.g., Hoge, Auchterlonie, & Milliken, 2006; Hoge et al., 2007; Pietrzak et al., 2013)....

Gender Differences in PTSD and Relationship Functioning – Kayla Knopp, PhD, Elizabeth Wrape, PhD, Chandra Khalifian, PhD, Katerine Rashkovsky, BS, & Leslie Morland, PsyD

by ISTSS Blogs | Oct 7, 2022 | Clinical Issues and Treatment, JOTS Highlights, Military and Combat

Many clinicians are aware of the painful impact of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on individuals' lives, including disrupting sleep, interfering with work and hobbies, and damaging self-worth. A growing body of research shows that PTSD is also harmful for...

Military Matters: Childhood Trauma Among Veterans: Impact and Implications‎ – Jacqueline O. Davis-Wright, PhD

by ISTSS Blogs | Sep 29, 2022 | Military and Combat, StressPoints

During my psychology internship training last year at a U.S. hospital within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), I co-facilitated an ongoing sexual trauma psychotherapy group for female veterans. Before joining this group, I assumed that it would focus on the...