APA Media Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2008
Contact: Chris Hobson
(202) 336-5700

APA SPONSORS CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING ON STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS OF RETURNING MILITARY PERSONNEL AND EFFECT ON THEIR FAMILIES

Experts Examine Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brian Injury and Post-Deployment Adjustment

WHAT:

A panel of military and mental health experts will address the impact of trauma facing the returning soldier and its effect on family members. The experts will also discuss the need for training military and civilian psychologists and other health professionals on the latest treatment approaches to help wounded soldiers deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury or issues in readjusting to civilian life following deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.

WHO:

Capt. Aaron Krentz of the Minnesota National Guard, veteran of multiple deployments to Iraq, will highlight common post-deployment experiences of Reservists and National Guard Members.

Patrick Campbell, Legislative Director, Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America and an Iraq War veteran, will discuss his personal experiences with deployment and post-deployment mental health issues.

David Riggs, PhD, Director of the Department of Defense's Center for Deployment Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md., will cover the importance of and current approaches to training mental health and other health specialists in meeting mental needs of returning service members

WHERE:

U.S. Capitol, Room HC-8

Wednesday, Feb. 13, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (refreshments will be provided)

A study published in the Jan. 30, 2008 New England Journal of Medicine found that mild head injuries sustained by soldiers in Iraq are the cause of a variety of neurological deficits and are a major factor in stress-related disorders. As the number and duration of military deployments increase, so do the behavioral health needs of service members and their families. To better meet the demand for deployment-related mental health care for service members and their families, the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP), an innovative Department of Defense training consortium, has been established. The CDP, spearheaded by the American Psychological Association, is a tri-service center funded by Congress to train military and civilian psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and other behavioral health professionals to provide high quality deployment-related behavioral health services to military personnel and their families.

The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 148,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.