Deployment Psychology Blog

Staff Perspective: Learning to Live with Danger

By Debra Nofziger  on 10.06.2020 1:45 pm
Dr. Deb Nofziger

The other night, I was talking with a neighbor about my irritation with loved ones whom I viewed as having an extreme reaction to the current pandemic. When I talk with others and hear about how worried and anxious they are -- and what I view as over-the-top rituals they perform to sanitize their world -- I have found myself getting frustrated with them and trying to convince them that they don’t have to be so worried. At the same time, I am worried about my own reaction, or perceived lack thereof. Is there something wrong with them… or me?

Guest Perspective: Because We Care - Risk for Moral Injury During the Covid-19 Pandemic

By Bill Nash  on 05.06.2020 11:01 am

For all its power to terrify, Covid-19 can’t keep us from marveling at the courage of frontline human service workers all over the world. They are braving not only the physical dangers of repeated exposure to the deadly virus, but also the emotional dangers of empathically sharing so much suffering with so many, and the moral dangers of possibly being unable to save every savable life, such as when intensive care services become overwhelmed. Their courage seems all the more remarkable given that all three of these dangers are invisible, operating mostly outside of anyone’s immediate awareness.

Research Update: 4 June 2020

By Shirl Kennedy  on 04.06.2020 12:41 pm

The weekly Research Update contains the latest news, journal articles, useful links from around the web. Some of this week's topics include:
● Contacts with Health Services During the Year Prior to Suicide Death and Prevalent Conditions A Nationwide Study.
● Comorbid PTSD and Depression Diagnoses Mediate the Association of Military Sexual Trauma and Suicide and Intentional Self-Inflicted Injury in VHA-Enrolled Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans, 2004-2014.
● PTSD’s Risky Behavior Criterion: Associated Risky and Unhealthy Behaviors and Psychiatric Correlates in a Nationally Representative Sample.

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