Blog posts with the tag "Service Members"

Staff Perspective: The American Red Cross - Supporting America’s Military and Veteran Families

By Lisa French  on 20.11.2019 10:41 am

In October 2012, I wrote one of my very first blog entries for the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) on the topic of the American Red Cross and their support for military families. Seven years later and in honor of Military Family Appreciation Month, I want to take this opportunity to remind our readers of this very special organization and the great work that the American Red Cross carries out daily in support of America’s military and Veteran families.

Staff Perspective: Observations on the Ever-Changing Military Family Life

By April Thompson  on 13.11.2019 1:30 pm
April Thompson, LCSW

I have been a Navy spouse for over twenty years. During that time, I have witnessed first-hand the changes experienced by military families in many aspects of their lives. While military families will always experience certain normative stressors, the tools they have to navigate these stressors is ever-changing. Experiences such as moving, frequent separations, deployment, and awareness of risks involved in military service are a common thread among families. However, the way these normative stressors are experienced, understood, and addressed continues to evolve.

Staff Perspective: Chasing the Energy Dragon - Tobacco & Caffeine Use in the Military, Part 2

By Kimberly Copeland  on 06.11.2019 10:29 am

In the first part of this blog, I discussed the historical use and current trends in use of tobacco in the military population. This time around we're going to examine another widely-used and socially-sanctioned substance, caffeine. If tobacco is the spark to the battle weary individual, it is surely coffee or caffeine that is gas that feeds the ever-elusive energy flame

Staff Perspective: Chasing the Energy Dragon - Tobacco & Caffeine Use in the Military, Part 1

By Kimberly Copeland  on 30.10.2019 10:52 am
Dr. Kimberly Copeland

When one thinks about substance use or addiction in the military, one’s mind may automatically go to alcohol. Although the prevalence of alcohol use and abuse can be considerable, we would be remiss to overlook the historical use and current trends in use of two other legally and socially sanctioned substances within our military population: tobacco and caffeine.

Staff Perspective: Opioid Misuse in the Military

By Elizabeth Parins  on 23.10.2019 4:54 pm
Elizabeth Parins, Psy.D.

A study of non-treatment-seeking infantry soldiers who had been deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq Tobin, et al (2014) found that 44.0% reported chronic pain (pain for more than 90 days). Of those chronic pain suffers, 48.3% reported symptoms for over one year. Additionally, 15.1% of this non-treatment-seeking sample was using opioids. The comparable rates of civilian chronic pain and opioid use at the time of this study were 26.0% and 4.0%. Alarmingly, 44.1% of soldiers reporting opioid use also reported mild to no pain in the past month and 5.6% reported no pain (Tobin, et al, 2014).

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