The U.S. military is struggling to provide adequate therapy sessions for thousands of active-duty troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, a massive study released Thursday concludes.
The RAND Corp. study of 40,000 cases, the largest ever, found that only a third of troops with PTSD and less than a quarter who are clinically depressed receive the minimum number of therapy sessions after being diagnosed.
The Monkey Trial Judgement Day Book Comes Alive With the Release of the Audio Book, Narrated by Kathryn Raaker, Syndicated Radio and TV Personality
The Monkey Trial Judgment Day, written by Gerald Blumenthal Ph.D, is a fact-based book about Toni McTavish, a high-priced Chicago call girl whose attempt to start a new life in Houston is thwarted by a possessive client, his legal team and a highly-erratic judge. The inner-workings of the court room are exposed as the defense lawyer fights for the future of his client. The dramatic ending personifies the twists and turns of the American legal system as it deals with a deranged serial killer. When the story is combined with the music by David Swan Montgomery and the narration by Kathryn Raaker, it makes for an entertaining and enticing five-hour listening experience. This audio book is available on Amazon here. This book is being considered for a movie deal and TV series production.
After learning of this engaging novel, three members of WIFV collaborated to benefit the nonprofit, Songs and Stories for Soldiers. This amazing organization, founded by author and financial advisor Daniel Perkins, provides MP3 players for active duty and wounded soldiers. The MP3 players provide access to thousands of audio books, songs and radio programs. Kathryn Raaker narrated the book by Gerald Blumenthal, David Swan Montgomery provided the original music, Bill Raaker edited the audio production and the proceeds of the book, plus a free download into the MP3 players are being donated to Songs and Stories for Soldiers. Visit the Songs and Stories for Soldiers website here.
“There are so many veterans and active duty soldiers that need this small token of appreciation from other Americans who support this organization. This is our way of giving back to them for their dedicated service and many times, the changes that are life altering,” Kathryn Raaker said.
Suicides in the U.S. military showed an increase over the summer months last year for active and reserve components compared to the same period in 2014, in a possible departure from a slight downward trend, the Defense Department reported Monday.
For the third quarter of 2015, including the months of July, August and September, the number of suicides recorded for the active duty military was 72, compared to 57 in the third quarter of 2014.
Tens of thousands of American combat veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan with undiagnosed brain injuries often were “thrown into a canyon” — falling deeper into despair and sometimes flirting with suicide or addiction — before trying to get help, according to a Johns Hopkins University study.
Two national psychology organizations are planning to offer online courses on war-related trauma for psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers who treat military personnel and veterans.
The four-part series, hosted by the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis and the American Psychoanalytic Association, will focus on the history of understanding combat-related mental health conditions to give providers “valuable insight into the impact war has on the human mind,” said Dennis Shelby, a therapist and Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis faculty member.
Primary treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) such as Prolonged Exposure Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy are not proving effective. That’s the conclusion of a recent Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) article calling for new ideas. The reality, the article points out, is that some two-thirds of combat veterans with PTSD are unable to free themselves from PTSD symptoms despite undergoing conventional treatments.
Here is a new idea–actually an old idea that has been around for decades–that works: Transcendental Meditation.
GI Bill students having dinner with Dan, talking about Songs and Stories for Soldiers
© 2026 Songs & Stories for Soldiers
Site by I-MKTG.com — Up ↑
