Deployment Psychology Blog

Staff Perspective: The Protective Value of REM Sleep

Chris Adams

We all know the benefits of a good night’s sleep. Most of us feel better, physically and emotionally with some solid sleep the night before. A recent study suggests that rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep may be even more important than that. It may function as a protective factor, reducing fear-related activity in the brain. This reduction in fear may help prevent the development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

By the Numbers: 23 Oct. 2017

By the Numbers Graphic

Nearly 40%

The percentage of DoD senior enlisted personnel who are nonwhite, according to a recently updated report from the Congressional Research Service -- Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Opportunity in the Armed Services: Background and Issues for Congress. The report indicates that the enlisted population as a whole is " more racially diverse than the U.S. resident population." Roughly one third of the total enlisted population is nonwhite. 

CDP News: 20 October 2017

Welcome to this week’s edition of CDP News! We like to use this space to review recent happenings in and around the Center for Deployment Psychology, while also looking ahead to upcoming events. October is heading to a close and the weather is getting colder out there, but even the cold weather isn’t slowing us down any!

Research Update: 19 October 2017

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:

● Prevalence, predictors and correlates of insomnia in US Army soldiers.
● Using Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy to Treat Veterans With Moral Injury-Based PTSD: Two Case Examples.
● Treatment Outcomes for Women with Substance Use Disorders: a Critical Review of the Literature (2010–2016).

Staff Perspective: Substance Use as a Suicide Warning Sign or Risk Factor

Reginal Shillinglaw, Ph.D.

As a Deployment Behavioral Health Psychologist for the Center for Deployment Psychology and a faculty member in a pre-doctoral Air Force Psychology Internship Program, I have ample opportunity to teach about warning signs and risk factors for suicide. I also have had plenty of patients and oversight of interns’ patients with substance use disorders, in particular alcohol use disorders. So, it is of particular interest to me to understand more fully the relationship between alcohol use (and other substance use) and suicide attempts.

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