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Lorissa McKay

Professor McGriff

ENC 1102

2 December 2019

Annotated Bibliography

Research Question: Are we doing enough for American Veterans with combat PTSD?

"Army blood test could help identify troops suffering from PTSD." Adverse Event Reporting

News, 17 Sept. 2019, p. 7+. Gale Academic OneFile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A600665981/GPS?u=navyship&sid=GPS&xid=54aa1f2

1. Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.

Scientific innovations are one of the exciting avenues of discovery in the study of

PTSD. This article is a brief on a new screening blood test that has been found in initial

reports to be effective at predicting PTSD. It is not a standalone diagnostic tool, but

according to the article, it is one part of the process that may screen, diagnose, and treat

military service members for PTSD in the future.

The article does not have much behind it to lend credibility since it is simply a

news story. I am giving it a skeptical pass, as it is an interesting development that will

require further testing to be a credible and authoritative source.

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My paper will benefit from this information because I am interested in including

other sources of innovation in the field of diagnosing PTSD. Another source that deals

with a similar subject is the one by Xue, Chen, et al. These two will go together as one is

a blood test, and the other is a genetic predisposition. Both seek to predict risk, and

therefore improve the treatment of Veterans exposed to trauma.

Beks, Tiffany. "Walking on eggshells: the lived experience of partners of veterans with PTSD."

The Qualitative Report, vol. 21, no. 4, 2016, p. 645+. Gale Academic OneFile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A499492388/GPS?u=navyship&sid=GPS&xid=8e44dad3.

Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.

This report was on a study that gleaned its data from anecdotal self-reporting from spouses of

servicemembers affected by PTSD. Its purpose was to study an aspect of PTSD that is not

usually examined, that of the effects on family members. The scope was limited by the sample

size and the medium. The subjects were all interviewed online and were all members of a

support group for spouses of PTSD sufferers.

I think because of the nature of the subjects, (all people who were clearly seeking help in an

online support group) the severity of the reported effects might be more extreme than if a random
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sampling were taken. Therefore, some of the indicated results might be on the severe side, and

possibly not indicative of the normal population.

The main reason I still find this study useful for my research is that even if the results are on the

extreme end, they are still valuable as examples of how serious things can get. I will use the

results of this report in combination with other reports on effects seen in families.

Bhagar, Harpriya A., and Alan D. Schmetzer. "Pharmacotherapy of combat-related post

traumatic stress disorder." Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association, Winter

2007, p. 28+. Gale Academic OneFile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A173643782/GPS?u=navyship&sid=GPS&xid=b2ec9a19.

Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.

Pharmacotherapy means pharmaceutical treatment. This article is a brief explanation of the

prescribed medication treatments and their uses for relieving various PTSD symptoms. The drug

families include antidepressants, anti-psychotics, sleep aids, and sedatives.

The authors of the study are psychotherapists themselves, and their audience is made up of other

psychiatric care providers. The information in this article is reliable and unbiased for the most

part. Psychiatrists are prescribing mental health practitioners, so they may be slightly more

inclined to view prescription medication as necessary than the average person.

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I will use this information as the basis of the treatment phase of my paper. I plan to show that an

optimal treatment solution does not yet exist for PTSD. This source explains the side effects and

risks of each medication, as well as the benefits. It also has an extensive bibliography I may be

able to use for additional sources if needed.

Burnam, M. Audrey, et al. "Systems of Care: Challenges and Opportunities to Improve

Access to High-Quality Care." Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive

Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery, edited by Terri

Tanielian and Lisa H. Jaycox, RAND Corporation, 2008, pp. 245-326. Gale eBooks,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX1769900022/GVRL?u=navyship&sid=GVRL&xid=a

75a6ffc. Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.

From the book Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries,

Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery, this chapter relays information

about barriers to treatment for military service members. It defines what types of barriers

there might be, from lack of access to lack of quality treatment available.

This book is carefully researched and includes many verifiable sources. I see it as

a reliable source of unbiased information.

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The information in this chapter of the book is integral to my points on treatment

availability, quality, and variety. It complements my other sources on current treatments

and possible improvements that can be made.

Corry, Nida H., et al. "Forty Years After the War: How are Vietnam Veterans Doing Today?"

PTSD Research Quarterly, vol. 27, no. 1, 2016, pp. 1-11. ProQuest,

https://search.proquest.com/docview/1800697572?accountid=28179. Accessed 09

November 2019.

This article is a follow-up on more than one study done on Vietnam-era veterans. The topic is

PTSD and other mental and physical health deficiencies over time. The time period scope is 40

years from the end of the war. The stance of the article is that PTSD correlates with less

favorable outcomes in other areas of veteran’s lives.

This source examines the issues objectively and doesn’t draw many conclusions for the reader.

The evidence, in the form of interviews and surveys with Vietnam veterans, speaks for itself. The

source is a quarterly publication that focuses on PTSD and I believe it to be reliable and

unbiased.

I plan to use the information from this source to illustrate some of the potential hidden effects of

PTSD for Veterans. This information is unusual, scientific, and pertinent to the quality of life of
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the subjects. I think it has important implications for the new population of veterans coming from

the modern wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will go along with my other sources that point to the

many lifelong effects of PTSD for veterans and their families, as well as bring legitimacy to my

argument that untreated PTSD is extremely harmful to a Veteran’s future.

Denke, Linda, and Sharon A. Denham. "Family-Focused Treatments for Veterans with Post-

Traumatic Stress Disorder." MedSurg Nursing, July-Aug. 2019, p. 235+. Gale Academic

Onefile, https://link-gale-

com.db23.linccweb.org/apps/doc/A599442196/AONE?u=lincclin_sjrcc&sid=AONE&xi

d=3d5e326b. Accessed 8 Nov. 2019.

This article evaluates the effects of treating PTSD symptoms in Veterans with a focus on

improving long-term outcomes for their entire families.

Since this article is for nurses that may treat Veterans with PTSD, it is from a medical care

perspective. The information and research is up-to-date and seems to be broadly applicable to the

subject of PTSD. The sources are authoritative and the article is unbiased.
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I will use the information from this article to elaborate on aspects of PTSD that affect the

families of the Veteran, and what can be done about them. It is a hopeful article, with positive

outcomes that should be in widespread use, which I will argue in my paper.

Frame, Kara. I will go back tonight. I Will Go Back Tonight. Dir. Frame, Kara. 16:20-16:34

http://www.iwillgobacktonight.com/video. Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.

A documentary by a filmmaker whose father was in the Army during Vietnam. It follows 3

Veterans and their wives as they discuss PTSD and its effects on their lives.

Kara Frame speaks for Veterans and their families, and her position as one of them herself makes

this documentary personal as well. In this case, it is very effective at making the subjects

highly sympathetic. Her goal is awareness for all past and present Veterans.

This film is a fitting storytelling tool for my paper. I want to humanize these people that can

seem remote and even a little scary to the average non-military affiliated American. Their

stories here will fit in many places since my themes are mainly solution finding oriented.

Gradus, Jaimie L. "PTSD and Death from Suicide." PTSD Research Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 4,

2017, pp. 1-8. ProQuest,

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https://search.proquest.com/docview/1958255056?accountid=28179. Accessed 09

November 2019.

This journal article is a review of the existing literature on the relationship between PTSD and

suicide. The topic and scope are narrow, sticking to commentary on the information as it relates

to veterans. The studies and statistics all pertain to the increase or decrease in likelihood of death

from suicide with relation to a PTSD diagnosis.

This article seems balanced and unbiased. It shows two opposing results, since there are studies

that when interpreted, seem to indicate that PTSD is both protective against suicide, and highly

correlates with death by suicide. The authors do not draw final conclusions for the reader, instead

stating that further interpretation and investigation will be needed.

I expect to utilize this source both directly, and indirectly, as the works cited in the article

number twenty-seven peer-reviewed papers and studies. That is plenty of material to answer my

questions about suicide in Veterans with PTSD. This will take careful examination on my part to

find which points are relevant to my position. This source is important for my paper in that it will

go along with other sources that show what the possible disorders are that are often found in

conjunction with PTSD.

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Hoge, Charles W., et al. "Combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, mental health problems and

barriers to care." U.S. Army Medical Department Journal, July-Sept. 2008, p. 7+. Gale

Academic Onefile https://link-gale-

com.db23.linccweb.org/apps/doc/A432895283/AONE?u=lincclin_sjrcc&sid=AONE&xi

d=4b869ad5. Accessed 8 Nov. 2019.

This study was conducted on U.S Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns. The authors

bring to the fore some of the important reasons Veterans go untreated for their mental distress

after combat. Their stance is that far too few soldiers seek help for their mental health when it is

warranted.

The tone of this study is objective, and geared towards medical professionals and how they can

best treat and reach the people that need help the most. It is a convincing and authoritative work,

with credible methods and results.

This perspective is important to my research topic, because it points to some of the most

persistent problems I see in PTSD treatment for Veterans. The lack of effective outreach on both

sides, the servicemember, and those who would treat him or her. I will use the numbers of

Veterans who showed signs of mental injury and also sought help for it to illustrate that too few

are actually doing that.

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Jancin, Bruce. "WALK AND TALK THERAPY: 3MDR intervention explored for refractory

PTSD." Clinical Psychiatry News, Apr. 2019, p. 1+. Gale Academic OneFile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A586014886/GPS?u=navyship&sid=GPS&xid=fc33a759.

Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.

Walk and talk therapy is an emerging treatment in the early stages of study. It utilizes virtual

reality to increase the effectiveness of regular exposure therapy. This article is limited in scope,

as the clinical use of this therapy is just beginning to be explored.

This source is unbiased and informational. The therapy is described objectively and realistically.

Further study is needed, but the author seems to feel that it is a promising future treatment.

For my paper I want as many cutting-edge treatments as possible to discuss and reveal the

potential for growth in the area of treatment and recovery for Veterans with PTSD. I will use this

article to point out that even the established area of psychotherapy can be enriched by innovation

and technology.
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Nimchuk, Terri. "HOW to PREVENT PTSD in WAR ZONES, no really." Esprit de Corps,

Feb. 2019, p. 18. Gale OneFile: Military and Intelligence,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A574852384/GPS?u=navyship&sid=GPS&xid=72d1a97

2. Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.

This article is from a Canadian Armed Forces psychotherapist. It is an accessible

description of how PTSD affects soldiers, written in layman’s terms. She has specific ideas to

share about treatment, timing, and improvements that can be made to better serve combat

veterans.

The author of this article appears to have only one agenda, and that is to better treat the

veterans under her care. She has authority to speak, as she is a psychotherapist employed at a

Canadian Veteran’s Assistance Clinic.

I appreciate that this author shares possible improvements that could help improve

outcomes for soldiers after trauma. This aspect is what I hope to include in my paper. The

hopeful idea that in the future, there will be far less need for this job when soldiers are healthier

mentally from the beginning.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology, edited by

Bonnie Strickland, 2nd ed., Gale, 2001, pp. 505-507. Gale eBooks,
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https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3406000506/GVRL?u=navyship&sid=GVRL&xid

=c0c41b48. Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.

This source is an encyclopedia entry that broadly explains and defines PTSD. It

encompasses all diagnoses of PTSD, from civilian to military, child to adult. It briefly

explains treatment, definition, diagnosis, and cause of the disorder.

This source is objective and unbiased. It is a reference book, and as such the

scope is broad. The audience is anyone curious about posttraumatic stress. The

encyclopedia is a reliable source for initial research.

I will use this source as the most basic definition for my topic. It doesn’t

contradict any of my previous sources, but it leaves a lot of room for elaboration.

“PTSD: National Center for PTSD.” VA.gov: Veteran Affairs. 15 Aug. 2013, www.ptsd.va.gov/.

Accessed November 8, 2019.

This website is an informational site by the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

It is known as the National Center for PTSD. The goal is to educate veterans and families

on PTSD, what the symptoms are, how to get help, and what the newest research and
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results of studies indicate for possible treatments. There are several pages with vast

amounts of information here. This information includes a database called “PTSD Pubs”

which links to published research, journal articles, and clinical trials on the subject.

This website has some of the most up-to-date information I have seen. It is a good

source for aggregated material. While it doesn’t appear to create that much content, its

strength is in the way it links to a lot of different information about PTSD.

I expect to use this source as a basic, reliable source to refer to when defining

PTSD in the veteran population. I will also use the database provided, as it seems to cut

out several steps in my research since every item is pertinent to my subject.

Seal KH, Maguen S, Cohen B, et al. VA mental health services utilization in Iraq and

Afghanistan veterans in the first year of receiving new mental health diagnoses. J Trauma

Stress. 2010;23(1):5–16. doi:10.1002/jts.20493

VA funded study that looks at the numbers of PTSD diagnosed Veterans that utilize treatments at

VA facilities in the first year after they are diagnosed.

Highly credible and full of facts and data. The audience for this article is mental health

practitioners. The goal is identifying areas for service members treatment and recovery to

improve.
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I plan to use this source to illustrate some treatment gaps in those diagnosed with PTSD.

"Studies in the Area of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Reported from Institute of

Psychology (FKBP5 Genotype Linked to Combined PTSD-Depression Symptom in

Chinese Earthquake Survivors)." Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, 28 Sept. 2019, p.

809. Gale OneFile: Military and Intelligence,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A600387084/PPMI?u=navyship&sid=PPMI&xid=178fc

055. Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.

Genetic studies appear to show a link between PTSD plus depression and certain

genetic mutations. Basically, some people are genetically predisposed to get PTSD and

depression together after traumatic events.

The source is a peer-reviewed journal and seems unbiased. These studies are once

again, on the cutting edge of research. The report seems reliable and authoritative.

Another source that goes along with the information here is the “Army blood test

could help identify troops suffering from PTSD.” This is an exciting area of diagnosis,

because while it doesn’t prevent PTSD, it can indicate those that are at greater risk for

developing it after trauma.

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"The US Military and Old vs. New Ways of Thinking about Soldiers with PTSD." The U.S.

Military and Old vs. New Ways of Thinking about Soldiers with PTSD, 26 Jan. 2017.

Gale Health and Wellness,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/UUFDKW707952201/HWRC?u=navyship&sid=HWRC

&xid=a935468e. Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.

This source is a video report from CBS News. It follows a young combat veteran

and details his personal struggles with receiving a diagnosis and treatment for his PTSD.

In addition, the piece shows that his life was affected by substance abuse and alcohol use

in the interim while he waited for help from the military.

I think this piece is biased in that it only relates the anecdotal story of one soldier.

To make the news, this piece is as poignant and affecting as possible. It is important that

the audience, who are non-military for the most part, connect with the young man and

sympathize with his struggle.

I want to use this piece to personalize the real statistics that PTSD does not stand

alone in the way it adversely affects the lives of those who suffer from it. It also brings
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along what are referred to as “Comorbidities” like depression, substance abuse, and

alcoholism.

Tramontin, Mary. "Exit wounds: current issues pertaining to combat-related PTSD of

relevance to the legal system." Developments in Mental Health Law, Jan. 2010, p. 23+.

Gale Academic OneFile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A269921239/GPS?u=navyship&sid=GPS&xid=59f2e6e

8. Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.

This article, written mainly for other lawyers that may be representing clients who

are combat veterans with PTSD, is very comprehensive and extensive. It goes into detail

on almost every aspect of PTSD, including treatments, risk factors, diagnosing, and long-

term effects.

This source has many citations to back up the claims made in this article. It is

authoritative and objective. While it is written to an audience of lawyers or mental health

professionals that seek to help PTSD sufferers with other aspects of life, the information

is balanced.
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This source expounds on a lot of information I have already sourced, and fits in

well. I think it lends a real-world relevance to the implications of PTSD on

servicemembers, their families, and their communities. This article will help me make the

argument that PTSD must be treated fully in every person that suffers with it, because the

effects can be widespread if not.

Xue, Chen, et al. "A Meta-Analysis of Risk Factors for Combat-Related PTSD among

Military Personnel and Veterans." PLoS ONE, vol. 10, no. 3, 2015. Gale Academic

OneFile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A423859357/GPS?u=navyship&sid=GPS&xid=9f7c167

8. Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.

This article is a meta-analysis study. It uses previous studies and assesses the

results of them in combination to draw conclusions about combat PTSD. It goes into

depth of detail about all manner of risk factors for symptoms, including pre-military life,

gender, type of combat, after-care, and more.

The article is authoritative and reliable. Combining many results from studies into

one means that the scope is pretty wide. Only military combat veterans are studied, but

the numerous studies referenced mean there is a lot of material for interpretation.
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This source examines my topic of PTSD in combat veterans from a somewhat

wider view. Instead of anecdotes and small samples, it brings useful statistics to the topic.

I plan to use the statistics in a variety of ways to illustrate my points about the many

factors that affect the severity of PTSD the lives of Veterans.