Deployment Psychology Blog

Staff Perspective: Helping Clients Slay their Dragons through Therapeutically Applied Role-Playing Games (TA-RPGs)

Dr. Brian Ludden

When the world shut down in 2020, I found freedom and healing not in my living room—but in a forgotten forest, as a chaotic hero with a big sword and even bigger self-doubts. It is early March of 2020, and an unprecedented event is taking place around the world. A global pandemic on a scale that few living today have ever experienced has halted daily life as we know it. The world has shut down and for many of us the way we interact with our jobs has changed drastically.

By the Numbers: 5 May 2025

3 million
The number of veterans receiving VA compensation for tinnitus, making it "the most prevalent service-connected disability among veterans," according to a recent article in JAMA Otolaryngology--Head & Neck Surgery: Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Tinnitus: Recommendations From the US VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guideline Work Group.

Research Update: 1 May 2025

Research Update icon

The weekly Research Update contains the latest news, journal articles, and useful links from around the web. Some of this week's topics include:
● Perceived Benefits and Risks of Keeping Firearms in and Around the Home: Results From a Nationally Representative Survey.
● Firearm leadership: Development, analysis, and application of a novel concept to message secure storage of firearms in the military.
● Well-Being and Suicidal Ideation in U.S. Veterans: Age Cohort Effects During Military-to-Civilian Transition.

Practically Speaking: Behind the Episode: Not a Fair Fight - Digital Media Addiction in Youth

Dr. Carin Lefkowitz

What a relief that I grew up mostly before the Internet age and well before the introduction of smartphones. Adolescent me would have done some real damage with online shopping and might have even become an online stalker of my favorite celebrities. And that’s only if I survived the FOMO (fear of missing out) and cyberbullying that pervades social media. Knowing myself, that would have been a recipe for disaster.

By the Numbers: 28 April 2025

26% and 12.2%
The percentages, respectively, of postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) among pregnant military service women and military spouses, according to an article in the journal JMIR Research Protocols -- Effects of Using a Smart Bassinet on the Mental Health of Military-Affiliated Pregnant Women: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Sleep Health and Mood in Newly Expectant Military Mothers (SHINE) Trial. Among the civilian population, the range is 10%-15%.

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