Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at Fort Benning

Beth Baker, Emily Dawson, Mary Katherine Kelley, Kim

Parent, and Randi Rudd

Background

• Mental disorders, especially Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), are highly prevalent in the United States (U.S.) military.

• The U.S. Army base at Fort Benning, Georgia works with many service members who have returned from combat and are are suffering from PTSD.

Purpose

• The purpose of this intervention is to provide education to the community of Fort Benning about the symptoms PTSD and resources available.

• Social media is utilized as the method of capturing the population’s attention.

Objectives

• As social media was used as the method of intervention for the community, multiple learning objectives for the participants were formulated.1. The participants will be able to recognize the signs

and symptoms of PTSD.2. The participants will be able to identify resources

available in the community and online for assistance with PTSD.

3. The participants will be able to identify locations where assistance is available.

Healthy People 2020 Objective

• The primary Healthy People 2020 goal this project focuses on is related to mental health and mental disorders.

• This goal aims to “improve mental health through prevention and by ensuring access to appropriate, quality mental services” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013).

• Another major Healthy People 2020 objective applicable to this intervention focuses on reducing the suicide rate.

Target Community, Population, and Health Conditions

• Target Community: Fort Benning• Target Population: Service members stationed

at Fort Benning who have been deployed to a combat zone.

• Target Health Condition: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Community Assessment

• Overview of Community’s Origin and Structure– Fort Benning serves as a military base designed to

train and support the Army Maneuver Force. – There are approximately 107, 627 individuals

served daily on base. Of this population, 27,436 are active duty military personnel.

Community Assessment: Key Findings

• Population information– In service members

returning from a tour of duty in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom, 13.8% of troops are reported to be suffering from PTSD

Community Assessment: Key Findings

• Mental Health Care Resources– Department of Behavioral Health at Martin Army

Community Hospital– The Fort Benning Warrior Transition Battalion– The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs– The Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care at

Martin Army Community Hospital – The Fort Benning Chaplain Family Life Ministries

Center

Some Signs/Symptoms of PTSD• Intrusion: reliving the traumatic event->– Recurring and disturbing memories of the event– Experiencing distressing dreams about the event– Feeling of re-experiencing the event itself, such as

illusions, hallucinations and flashbacks– An intense fear during exposure to events that

may resemble the previous traumatic event

*Avoidance – This is an EXTREMELY common mechanism in which the individual will attempt to avoid ANY situations associated with the trauma, including physical places and emotional barriers.

Common S/S of PTSD, cont.

• Hyper-Arousal: Feelings of increased arousal or vigilance that were not present before the trauma:– Has difficulty sleeping due to constant fear– Intense irritability / unexpected angry outbursts– May have difficulty maintaining concentration– Hyper vigilance (unable to find the “off” button)– Over-exaggerated startle response if surprised

• Community-Health Oriented Nursing Diagnosis (Priority Health Issues)->– (1)Knowledge deficit among recently deployed

servicemen & service women r/t an inability to recognize several of the most common signs & symptoms of PTSD within themselves & family members, and among their fellow service men.

– (2)Risk for violence, self-directed, among those suffering from PTSD [suicide rate is 2x the avg.]

– (3)Potential for altered family processes among war veterans suffering from PTSD, including but not limited to: alcoholism/gen.substance abuse, physical and emotional abuse, anxiety, divorce.

Community Intervention: Plan• Place and Topic– A Facebook page was to be developed as an

educational intervention promoting the resources available to provide support for PTSD

– Also, flyers were to be posted in highly visible, high traffic locations advertising the new Facebook page and identifying symptoms of PTSD.

• Target Population– The intervention implemented at Fort Benning

targeted service members and their families who had been affected by PTSD

Community Intervention

• Development– Supportive Literature• Multiple studies indicated that social media is a

valuable resource for promoting healthcare in the community

– Method of Delivery• These studies were the basis for selecting social

networking as the intervention method for raising awareness of PTSD signs and symptoms and available resources at Fort Benning.

Community Intervention

• Evaluation– The success of the intervention is not able to be

fully and accurately measured, as there is no way to tell how many people have been assisted by the newly developed resource or the flyers posted within the community.

– However evaluation can continue as the Facebook page continues to be promoted, gains followers, and receives feedback.

Summary and Future Recommendations

Because PTSD continues to aggressively affect service members, it is important to continue to raise awareness of this condition. This awareness should include information about the symptoms associated with PTSD and resources available. Spreading awareness about PTSD can promote early detection and intervention.

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