Have you heard of the film that has recently come out, called “The First Grader”? It’s based on the real life story of an elderly Kenyan man, Maruge, who in his youth fought with the Mau Mau during the rebellion that precipitated Kenyan independence from the United Kingdom. The Mau Mau rebellion is generally recognized […]
Recognizing the Risk of PTSD in Our Patients
When we think of PTSD, many practitioners automatically think of soldiers, rape survivors, or childhood abuse survivors. Few of us think about other groups of people, particularly the patients in our hospitals, with a high risk of developing PTSD. According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons […]
Mindfulness and the Re-Integration of Soldiers: the Coming Home Project
In past blogs, I’ve mentioned the use of mindfulness in military pre-deployment training. As this process is in its infancy, there are many service people who will never come across mindfulness training as part of their military experience. One organization that is trying to rectify this gap, at least upon reentry into civilian life, is […]
PTSD Risk for Child Cancer Survivors
I frequently receive donation requests from charities like St. Jude’s Hospital or American Cancer Society, sometimes featuring the picture of a child recovering from cancer. I can tell that they have gone through experiences that make them older than their years and just hope that the treatments that they are receiving are successful. But it […]
Ecstasy and PTSD
I’ve recently seen numerous articles published in the “mainstream media” questioning the use of illegal narcotics in the treatment of PTSD. This issue isn’t something new; the 60s and 70s saw the same debate, though then it quieted for a while. Well, it’s back. The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) held its first US […]