67th Annual Conference

Thursday, February 25

Afternoon Workshops

2:30 - 5:00 P.M.

Workshop 35

Military Mental Health - Treatment Challenges in a Unique Environment

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Community Outreach Task Force

Chairs:                

Captain Paul Hammer, M.D., Director, Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control, San Diego, California

Captain Edward Simmer, M.D., MPH, CGP, Director for Psychological Health, Defense Centers of Excellence on PH & TBI, Washington, DC

This workshop will focus on the unique stressors of the military environment, particularly when engaged in combat, and the demands and challenges in maintaining psychological health, providing treatment and improving care. This presentation includes interactive lectures with time for questions and answers.

didactic-demonstration-sharing of work experiences-experiential

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify at least 4 unique stressors of the military environment, particularly associated with deployment and combat, relevant to mental health.
2. Identify 2 ways in which the concepts of combat psychiatry have changed since the Vietnam War.
3. Identify three differences in identifying and treating TBI across the spectrum from Mild, Moderate and Severe.
 

Course References:

Hoge, C.Castro., Messer,S.,McGurk,D. Cotting,D. Koffman,R. (2004). Combat duty in Iraq and Afganistan: mental health problems and barriers to care. The New England Journal of Medicine, 351, 13-22.
 

Armstrong, K. Best & Domenenici (2006) Courage after fire: Coping Strategies for troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families. Berkley, California.
 

Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense.(2004) VA/DoD Guidelines for the management of posttraumatic stress. Washington, DC.