Caring for Veterans with Deployment-related Stress Disorders

Book excerpt: "The chapters in this book summarize current scientific and clinical knowledge about psychological trauma, PTSD, and related posttraumatic stress reactions among military veterans and civilians deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Although the content is focused on individuals serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, the book also offers a framework to help those not only in the United States but elsewhere around the world who will be directly affected by future wars. This book is designed to support clinical practice by providing clinicians with solid, evidence-based information. To that end, the chapters include clinical case illustrations intended to help practitioners integrate the material with real-world scenarios. The book should also stimulate research by providing a comprehensive summary of the existing literature. We anticipate that it may function as a practical tool for clinicians interested in trauma work and as a textbook for use in instructional settings. A comprehensive approach to the management of posttraumatic stress reactions must encompass both prevention and treatment. It must also incorporate both clinical and public health perspectives. Problems experienced by individuals affect the larger community, so care at the individual level should be offered within the context of a larger system of services. Thus, this book comprises five major parts: epidemiology and course of problems; assessment of trauma, PTSD, related mental health outcomes (including the context of co-occurring traumatic brain injury), and suicidal states; specific noncombat stressors and problems and their ramifications; prevention and treatment of PTSD; and public health challenges related to barriers to care and integration of service delivery systems"--Introduction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).