PTSD Resolution

Outreach programme for veterans

Guest article by Patrick Rea

This programme helps veterans and TA struggling to reintegrate into a normal work & family life because of military post traumatic stress suffered as a result of service in the armed forces. www.ptsdresolution.org

Trauma causes flashbacks, nightmares, anger and depression - often leading to violence, alcohol and substance abuse, job loss, family breakdown and even suicide. Over 300 Falklands veterans have committed suicide; more than were killed in the fighting in 1982.  Today, 20,000 ex-servicemen are in jail or on probation.

Through a nationwide network of accredited therapists, PTSD Resolution provides treatment to enable sufferers to resolve the mental health problems associated with military trauma that obstruct a normal range of family and work relationships.

PTSD Resolution therapy is unique: it’s brief, with an average of just three to four one-hour sessions; conducted on an out-patient basis, to support family and work routines; available nationwide, with no waiting lists. The programme is complementary to the work of other services' charities, in that it resolves mental health issues that are barriers to successful reintegration and settlement.

PTSD and veterans: new solutions

Therapists in the PTSD Resolution programme use a form of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which is a treatment for PTSD approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

The PTSD Resolution programme is designed  to accommodate the special circumstances of veterans of the armed services. Treatment does not require the patient to talk about the events that may have caused the traumatic memory. Any referencing of the incidents that may be necessary is undertaken as sympathetically as possible, with the patient in a highly relaxed state, to avoid further distress.

The patient’s calm state during treatment, and the absence of any verbal recounting of the traumatic episode, ensure that the PTSD Resolution version of trauma-focused CBT is as compassionate and supportive as possible, as well as fully compliant with NICE guidelines, says the charity.

Each course is delivered through a network of therapists, trained in HGT (Human Givens Therapy www.hgfoundation.com), which initially focused on the treatment of mental distress in the general population when it was set up in 1997. HGT organises and builds on a number of well-established practices in psychology and psychotherapy to provide practical and effective counselling, according to the charity.

Successful pilot programme treating PTSD

PTSD Resolution is now registered with the Charities Commission following completion of the pilot programme. This included a project with the Falklands Veterans Foundation (www.fvf.org.uk) that helped ex-services personnel recover successfully after experiencing the symptoms of PTSD for 25 years in some cases.

Success rate in treating veterans with PTSD

Overall the programme has had a better than 80 per cent success rate in resolving the condition for the 50 UK veterans of the armed services treated to date. A further 599 stress-related cases from the general population were treated in a study using HGT: the recovery rate was over 70 per cent, with a statistical mean value of 3.6 treatment sessions.

Free treatment for UK veterans

PTSD Resolution is now raising £1 million from donors to provide treatment free of charge to veterans, many of whom are unemployed, with a single course costing £600 on average. The goal is to enable every sufferer to resume a normal family, work and social life as quickly as possible, without needing any further care.

The charity will also carry out new research and raise awareness of the causes and treatment of the condition, which is little understood by veterans or their families, friends or employers, who are often affected by the destructive behaviour associated with PTSD. Areas of attention that are planned include the plight of veterans in the prison and probation system.

Treatment for veterans in the USA

Please visit the EFT Stress project.

Case Study: veteran with PTSD successfully treated

Here is a statement by one UK services veteran of 22 years, diagnosed with PTSD.

I had my first session which did not involve any in-detail discussion about my trauma; indeed my therapist still has no knowledge of the events which traumatised me.  After the session I went away not knowing what to expect: that night my nightmares ceased, I became much calmer and to this day have not had one flashback or re-enactment episode, I threw out my anti depressants. I have re-connected to those around me and been able to hold down a job. I can control my drinking. I feel extremely sad about the two years I drifted through and wasted, and regret all the hurt I caused to those around me.  But I now feel that I am able to get on with my life without the intrusive effects of PTSD. I hope that the de-traumatising therapy which healed me gets the recognition it truly deserves, and that it is the people suffering who get the opportunity to prove that. Not some stuffed shirt or bean counter in Whitehall.  The treatment is quick and effective, the alternative is wasteful, and a large group of people who will put burden on an already overstretched NHS.

Help for veterans suffering from post traumatic stress

For further information on veterans with PTSD and the PTSD Resolution treatment, or to make a donation, please visit www.ptsdresolution.org.

Return from PTSD in Veterans to Dealing with Trauma

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You may also be interested in:

Human givens therapy
Natural depression treatments
PTSD symtoms
Signs of clinical depression

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Other helpful links:

The American Journal of Psychiatry - Research: Posttraumatic stress and depression in battle-injured soldiers
The American Journal of Psychiatry - The effectiveness of pre-deployment mental health screening

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News:

30 Aug 2011 - Los Angeles Times: Soldiers' brains bear scars of emotional wouds
28 Aug 2011 - Los Angeles Times: Military suicides linked to low levels of omega-3
2 June 2011 - NPR: For soldiers with PTSD, a profound daily struggle
2 May 2011 - PsychCentral: PTSD more likely in soldiers with prior mental health issues