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BY LEXA DECKERT
ANCHOR JIM FLINK
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Post-traumatic stress disorder--there’s an app for that. Reporter News explains.
“The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs (VA) have jointly developed the PTSD Coach, a free smartphone application. In the wake of trauma, people with PTSD may experience symptoms such as excessive fear about safety, difficulty concentrating, irritability and emotional isolation...”
And PTSD Coach is just one app out there. IB Times reports-- there are others.
“A half-dozen apps with names like ‘T2 MoodTracker,’ ‘PTSD Coach’ and ‘Breathe2Relax’ have been developed... but are not meant to diagnose illness or replace psychiatric counseling. Rather, the apps provide information about what the military calls ‘invisible wounds’ of wars... and teaches how to manage those symptoms.”
An editorial for Daily Press stresses the importance of developing more resources for veterans living with PTSD.
“One in five may be suffering from traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder or other psychological wounds...Early intervention is considered key in achieving successful outcomes.”
Even though the phone apps aren’t looked at as a cure-all-- doctors and users agree it helps to close some gaps in care. WEWS reports...
“One of the challenges is always when you’re trying to treat someone in therapy, to get them to use the skills in real life... It’s proactive care... if you’re seeing a therapist, you may only be seeing a therapist for one or two hours a week... The app provides something that people can access 24-hours a day, whenever they need it.”
The app can be downloaded for free on iTunes -- and the downloads are completely anonymous. SCPR explains why this is important for a veteran.
“...some vets are skittish about VA treatment. The VA creates a record that some guys are afraid of. If a young guy wants to become a police officer and has a record of having PTSD because he went to the VA and they put it in their file, he’s afraid that that will keep him out of, you know, security work or police work that he wants to do. And it could.”
And even though the app is specifically tailored to veterans, Daily Mail reports there’s more potential.
“...some users may also be PTSD sufferers with no military background. Officials believe it's likely some are civilians who've had other types of trauma, such as from physical or sexual assaults, car accidents or natural disasters.”
Since the app was released in April, it has been downloaded more than 14,000 times in more than 41 countries.
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