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Authors: Lt. Col. USMC (ret.) Jay Kopelman

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The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, the U.S. government, or any of the institutions with which the authors are affiliated.

We are indebted to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Land Combat Study Team: Lolita Burrell, Ph.D., Scott Killgore, Ph.D., Melba Stetz, Ph.D., Paul Bliese, Ph.D., Oscar Cabrera, Ph.D., Anthony Cox, M.S.W., Timothy Allison-Aipa, Ph.D., Karen Eaton, M.S., Graeme Bicknell, M.S.W., Alexander Vo, Ph.D., and Charles Milliken, M.D., for survey-instrument design and data collection; to Spencer Campbell, Ph.D., for coordination of data collection and scientific advice; to David Couch for supervising the data-collection teams, database management, scanning, and quality control; to Wanda Cook for design and production of surveys; to Allison Whitt for survey-production and data-collection support; to Lloyd Shanklin, Joshua Fejeran, Vilna Williams, and Crystal Ross for data-collection, quality-assurance, scanning, and field support; to Jennifer Auchterlonie for assistance with Defense Medical Surveillance System analyses; to Akeiya Briscoe-Cureton for travel and administrative support; to the leadership of the units that were studied and to our medical and mental health professional colleagues at Ft. Bragg, Ft. Stewart, Camp Lejeune, and Camp Pendleton; to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Office of Research Management; to David Orman, M.D., psychiatry consultant to the Army Surgeon General, Gregory Belenky, M.D., and Charles C. Engel, M.D., for advice and review of the study; and, most important, to the soldiers and Marines who participated in the study for their service.

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Prigerson HG, Maciejewski PK, Rosenheck RA. Population attributable fractions of psychiatric disorders and behavioral outcomes associated with combat exposures among US men. Am J Public Health 2002; 92:59-63.

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Idem
. Combat trauma: trauma with highest risk of delayed onset and unresolved posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, unemployment, and abuse among men. J Nerv Ment Dis 2001;189:99-108.

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Kang HK, Natelson BH, Mahan CM, Lee KY, Murphy FM. Post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness among Gulf War veterans: a population-based survey of 30,000 veterans. Am J Epidemiol 2003;157:141-8.

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Hoge CW, Lesikar SE, Guevara R, et al. Mental disorders among U.S. military personnel in the 1990s: association with high levels of health care utilization and early military attrition. Am J Psychiatry 2002;159: 1576-83.

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Wessely S, Unwin C, Hotopf M, et al. Stability of recall of military hazards over time: evidence from the Persian Gulf War of 1991. Br J Psychiatry 2003;183:314-22.

11

Wright KM, Huffman AH, Adler AB, Castro CA. Psychological screening program overview. Mil Med 2002;167:853-61.

12

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http://www.oqp.med.va.gov/cpg/MDD/MDD_Base.htm
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Rubertone MV, Brundage JF. The Defense Medical Surveillance System and the Department of Defense serum repository: glimpses of the future of public health surveillance. Am J Public Health 2002;92:1900-4.

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Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. DSM-IV. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association, 1994.

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Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB. Validation and utility of a self-report version of PRIME-MD: the PHQ primary care study. JAMA 1999;282:1737-44.

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Lowe B, Spitzer RL, Grafe K, et al. Comparative validity of three screening questionnaires for DSM-IV depressive disorders and physicians' diagnoses. J Affect Disord 2004; 8:131-40.

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Henkel V, Mergl R, Kohnen R, Maier W, Moller HJ, Hegerl U. Identifying depression in primary care: a comparison of different methods in a prospective cohort study. BMJ 2003;326:200-1.

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Blanchard EB, Jones-Alexander J, Buckley TC, Forneris CA. Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist (PCL). Behav Res Ther 1996;34:669-73.

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Weathers FW, Litz BT, Herman DS, Huska JA, Keane TM. The PTSD checklist (PCL): reliability, validity, and diagnostic utility. San Antonio, Tex.: International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, October 1993. abstract. (Accessed June 4, 2004, at
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Brown RL, Leonard T, Saunders LA, Papasouliotis O. A two-item conjoint screen for alcohol and other drug problems. J Am Board Fam Pract 2001;14:95-106.

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Britt TW. The stigma of psychological problems in a work environment: evidence from the screening of service members returning from Bosnia. J Appl Soc Psychol 2000;30:1599-618.

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Castro CA, Bienvenu RV, Hufmann AH, Adler AB. Soldier dimensions and operational readiness in U.S. Army forces deployed to Kosovo. Int Rev Armed Forces Med Serv 2000;73:191-200.

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Menard S. Applied logistic regression analysis. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2002.

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Friedman MJ, Schnurr PP, McDonagh-Coyle A. Post-traumatic stress disorder in the military veteran. Psychiatr Clin North Am 1994;17:265-77.

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Narrow WE, Rae DS, Robins LN, Regier DA. Revised prevalence estimates of mental disorders in the United States: using a clinical significance criterion to reconcile 2 surveys' estimates. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2002; 59:115-23.

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Regier DA, Narrow WE, Rae DS, Manderscheid RW, Locke BZ, Goodwin FK. The de facto US mental and addictive disorders service system: Epidemiologic Catchment Area prospective 1-year prevalence rates of disorders and services. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1993;50:85-94.

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Deployment Health Clinical Center. Deployment cycle support and clinicians—practice guidelines. (Accessed June 4, 2004, at
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Copyright © 2004 Massachusetts Medical Society.

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RESOURCES FOR VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES
National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (NCPTSD)

The NCPTSD “aims to advance the clinical care and social welfare of U.S. veterans through research, education and training on PTSD and stress-related disorders.” Website offers links and information on treatment for PTSD for soldiers and civilians, as well as several guides for personnel and their families. An excellent starting point for PTSD information.

National Center for PTSD
VA Medical Center (116D)
215 North Main St.
White River Junction, VT 05009
Ph. 802-296-6300
E-mail: [email protected]
www.ncptsd.va.gov

National Institute of Mental Health—PTSD Booklet

A booklet for those who want to know more about PTSD, with a section dedicated to recognizing causes, stressors, and personal symptoms. This is a governmental resource with a solid research base; not specifically tailored to veterans.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Science Writing, Press, and Dissemination Branch
6001 Executive Blvd., Room 8184, MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
Ph. 866-615-6464
E-mail: [email protected]
www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-a-real-illness/summary.shtml

Department of Veterans Affairs - Readjustment Counseling Service (Vet Center)

The VA's Readjustment Counseling Service is available to any veteran—and his or her immediate family—who served in a combat zone and received a military campaign ribbon. The Vet Center's aim is to support and assist combat veterans in a range of services, including employment counseling and drug/alcohol assessments, as they transition from military to civilian life.

Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20420
Ph. 800-905-4675 (Eastern)
Ph. 866-496-8838 (Pacific)
E-mail: [email protected]
www.vetcenter.va.gov

Courage to Care Campaign

Courage to Care is a “new, electronic health campaign for military and civilian professionals serving the military community, as well as for military men, women and families. Courage to Care consists of electronic fact sheets on timely health topics relevant to military life that provide actionable information. Fact sheets range from “What Military Families Should Know about Depression,” to “Helping Children Cope During Deployment.” The content of these fact sheets is developed by leading military health experts. The campaign is sponsored by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS).

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
4301 Jones Bridge Rd.
Bethesda, MD 20814
E-mail: [email protected]
www.usuhs.mil/psy/courage.html

Military Veterans PTSD Reference Manual

This online reference manual offers a comprehensive look at the history of PTSD and its diagnosis over the last century. Works through causes, effects, traditional and non-traditional treatments. There is even a chapter on working with the Department of Veterans' Affairs, which outlines and offers tips for the claims and appeals processes.
www.ptsdmanual.com

Veterans and Families

Veterans and Families is a nonprofit organization run by—you guessed it—veterans and their families. This site provides a plethora of links and information, including the organization's own “Homecoming Preparedness Guide,” which serves to educate both homecoming veterans and their families during what can be a stressful transition period.

Ph. 916-284-0778
www.veteransandfamilies.org

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