veterans

Diagnosing PTSD using brain imaging

Post-traumatic stress, which is estimated to afflict one in five veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars alone, is typically diagnosed through behavioral screenings and is often considered a "soft" disorder with no known biomarkers.

"It's like depression in that it can be hidden by the sufferer, it can be latent, and it can be re-activated," says Apostolos Georgopoulos, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Minnesota. "That's a major issue for the Army, which has to decide whether to re-deploy troops who have had it."

Georgopoulos has previously discovered biomarkers … Read more

Second Life for returning veterans

Veterans are often reluctant to seek therapy for service-related conditions, but rather than write them off, scientists are creating a virtual online community where servicemembers can find the camaraderie and resources to ease their return to civilian life.

The "Transitional Online Post-deployment Soldier Support in Virtual Worlds" created by the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) will be ensconced within a corner of the virtual landscape of Second Life, a popular online 3D grid where people interact through avatars (PDF).

Also known as Coming Home, this world will contain three main areas: one for … Read more

Ecstasy treatment draws rave reviews

Psychiatrists and researchers are using a notorious party drug to treat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and are asking the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand the program.

Scientists say methylenedioxymethamphetamine produces an experience described as "inhibiting the subjective fear response to an emotional threat." Late-night rave-goers know it as Ecstasy and say it produces an intimate, euphoric groove and makes you grind your teeth.

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies is sponsoring clinical trials to determine potential risks and benefits of using the drug as part of the psychotherapy for treating post-traumatic stress disorder.

In the … Read more

Vets get an online forum. It's about time

I wish they had something like this after my discharge from the military. But that was years before the Internet had gone mainstream.

So it is Tuesday that a couple of nonprofits--the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and the Ad Council--debuted a social-networking site where veterans can get questions answered and reach out to others who have served.

Great move and long overdue. The generation that serves in Afghanistan and Iraq grew up online and if some sort of virtual community can help speed veterans' readjustment to civilian life, more power to it.

"It allows us to reach … Read more

A virtual trip to Baghdad

I'm holding a ticket to Baghdad in my hand. I just booked the flight at a kiosk in a storefront travel agency in San Francisco's hipster heart, the Mission District.

From speakers in the room, a woman's soothing voice calls out some of the highlights there, like restaurants that are never crowded. Televisions spell out more urgent tips for travelers: "No skirts. No photos. No children."

Brochures in English, Spanish, and Arabic provide more details: "All the beautiful places that you might have read about have either been destroyed or looted."

The boarding … Read more