Joining Forces InitiativeTraumatic Brain Injury

Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome

Michael K Murphy, DOFACOFP, dist, FAODME

DME, Bluefield Regional Medical CenterCAPT MC USN (ret)

Joining Forces

Joining Forces

• “For this newest generation of American veterans and their families, PTSD, TBI, and post-combat depression have become the signature wounds of our latest conflicts.”

• –First Lady Michelle Obama

Joining Forces

• “We’ve got to make sure that no matter where they seek help, our veterans and military families get care that’s worthy of their service. They deserve doctors who understand military culture and the challenges that come along with a life in our Armed Forces. They deserve nurses, social workers, and counselors who have access to the most cutting-edge research and techniques for diagnosis and care. And they deserve a health care system that fully understands these issues and is focused on solving them.” –First Lady Michelle Obama

Joining Forces

“We know that one of the biggest challenges our troops and their families will face is mental health challenges – the unseen wounds of war. These challenges put a strain on marriages, family relationships, even friendships. Spouses can feel isolated and lonely. Kids might act out. It used to be that no one talked about these issues. But that’s why we’re here today – because each one of us is in a position to help.”

–Brad Cooper, Executive Director of Joining Forces

Joining Forces• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical

Education (ACGME)• American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic

Medicine (AACOM)• Association of Academic Health Centers• Association of American Medical Colleges• Council on Social Work Education• National Board for Certified Counselors• National Board of Medical Examiners• Physician Assistant Education Association

Joining Forces• American Academy of Family Physicians• American Academy of Nurse Practitioners• American Academy of Pediatrics• American Academy of Physician Assistants• American College of Physicians• American Medical Association AMA• American Nurses Association• American Osteopathic Association (AOA)• American Psychiatric Association• Medscape

Joining Forces• American Academy of Physical Medicine and

Rehabilitation• American Academy of Neurology• American Academy of Pain Medicine• American College of Emergency Physicians• American College of Surgeons• American Congress of Obstetricians and

Gynecologists• Citizen Soldier Support Program• National Association of Social Workers

Joining Forces

• American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

• American Dental Association• American Physical Therapy Association• American Psychiatric Institute for Research &

Education• American Psychological Association• National Area Health Education Center Organization• National Association of Community Health Centers

TBI and PTSD

Objectives• Understand the Joining Forces initiative

– Be familiar with the resources available• Be familiar with the

– definition for TBI– Symptoms of TBI– Treatment of TBI

• Be familiar with the – definition for PTSD– Symptoms of PTSD– Treatment of PTSD

TBI and PTSD

To understand the injured warrior you must understand the warrior culture

Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

TBI and PTSD

Warrior Ethos• I will always place the mission first. • I will never accept defeat. • I will never quit. • I will never leave a fallen comrade.

TBI and PTSD

Factoids• 2.0 million men and women have served in the

two war zones• 10-17% have experienced situations or injuries

that could result in TBI/PTSD• 50% are not reported• >50% are treated in their communities• TBI and PTSD are considered the silent injuries

of war

TBI and PTSDFactoids• Since Sept.11, 2001, more than 2 million U.S. troops have been

deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. About 40% of current military service members have been deployed more than once.

• There are 1.4 million active duty service members—14% of whom are women—and 1.1 million Guard and Reserve members.– There are 2.0 million spouses and children/dependents of

active duty service members.– 44% of active duty service members have children—76% of

these children are age 11 and younger.– Only 37% of families live on military installations; the

remaining 63% live in over 4,000 communities nationwide.

Strengthening Our Military Families: Meeting America’s Commitment January 2011Demographics 2010: Profile of the Military Community

TBI and PTSD

Factoids• With the end of the war in Iraq and the drawdown in

Afghanistan, over 1 million service members are projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016.

• There are an estimated 22.2 million Veterans in the U.S.—8% of whom are women.

•National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, Veteran Population Projection Model (VetPop) 2007

TBI and PTSDFactoids• In the current conflicts, the military has experienced multiple

re-deployments; short dwell time between deployments; greater dependence on the National Guard and reserve components; deployment of high numbers of women and parents of young children; and a higher number of service members who survive serious injuries that in previous wars would have been fatal.[i]

• The majority of returning service members and their families are resilient to the stresses of war and successfully re-adjust to life after deployment.

[i] Returning Home from Iraq and Afghanistan: preliminary assessment of readjustment needs of veterans, service members and their families. 2010. Institute of Medicine

TBI and PTSDFactoids• About one in three U.S. service members returning from Iraq or

Afghanistan experiences signs of combat stress, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or symptoms of a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

• Only 53% of returning troops who screened positive for PTSD or major depression sought help from a provider for these conditions in the preceding year.

• Of those who had PTSD or depression and sought treatment, only slightly over half received adequate treatment.

Tanielian, T. L., RAND Corporation & Center for Military Health Policy Research. (2008). Invisible wounds of war: Psychological and cognitive injuries, their consequences, and services to assist recovery.

TBI and PTSD

Factoids• Only 57% of those with a probable TBI had been evaluated by a

physician for a brain injury in the preceding year.

• Although 53% of recent Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans receive

their health care through the VA, many Veterans and their families will seek care in community settings from primary care and community mental health clinicians.

National Center for PTSD. Mental health effects of serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/overview-mental-health-effects.asp

TBI and PTSD

Factoids• Of recent Operation Enduring

Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Veterans who used VA care, 48% were diagnosed with a mental health problem.

• In the five years from 2005 to 2010, on average, one service member committed suicide every 36 hours.

Losing the Battle: the challenge of military suicide. Center for a New American Security. October 2011

TBI and PTSDFactoids• U.S. Army suicides reached an all-time high in July 2011 with

the deaths of 33 active and reserve component service members.

• Mental and substance use disorders caused more hospitalizations among U.S. troops in 2009 than any other cause.

• Children of deployed military personnel have more school, family and peer-related emotional difficulties, compared with national samples.

Zoroya, G. (2010, May 14). Mental health hospitalizations up for troops. USA Today. (Original source: Pentagon’s Medical Surveillance Month Report.)

Chandra, A., Lara-Cinisomo, S., Jaycox, L. H., et al. (2010). Children on the homefront: The experience of children from military families. Pediatrics, 125, 16–25.

TBI and PTSD

Factoids• 2.3 million men and women have served in the

two war zones• 10-17% have experienced situations or injuries

that could result in TBI/PTSD• 50% are not reported• >50% are treated in their communities• TBI and PTSD are considered the silent injuries

of war

TBI and PTSD

TBI and PTSD

Military Health History• Tell me about your military experience.• When and where do or did you serve?• What do or did you do while in the service?• How has military service affected you?

TBI and PTSD

Military Health History POSITIVE• Did you see combat, enemy fire or casualties?• Were you wounded, injured or hospitalized?• Did you ever become ill while you were in the

service?• Were you a prisoner of war?

TBI and PTSD

There is still a stigma associated with TBI and PTSD.

Many veterans and active duty attempt to work through this or to seek care outside the system to avoid this.

Lt Cmdr Richard Jadick, DO, MC, USN

Joining Forces InitiativeTraumatic Brain Injury

Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome

Michael K Murphy, DOFACOFP, dist, FAODME

DME, Bluefield Regional Medical CenterCAPT MC USN (ret)