New CEUs: Diagnosis, Screening and Management of Acute Stress Disorder

8 CEUs

CEU Course Description

The course is based on the latest practice guidelines from the Veterans Administration and Department of Defense for the assessment, diagnosis and management of symptoms of ASD, Acute Stress Disorder in the immediate period after exposure to trauma.

Course Objectives

1. Discuss populations at risk for developing acute stress and PTSD and primary prevention strategies to assist them.

2. Outline strategies to assess and triage those with trauma-related symptoms, significant impaired function, and a ASD or PTSD diagnosis.

3.  Describe methods to manage PTSD and co-occurring disorders, PTSD with co-morbidity, and concurrent PTSD and substance use disorder.

4. Summarize treatment components for ASD and PTSD including education and normalization, brief interventions, symptom management, and social and spiritual support.

5. Review recommendations for re-assessing patient status following therapeutic intervention to evaluate and identify the need for additional services.

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Pharmacologic Treatment for PTSD and Opioid Use Disorders

$6.00 | CEU Hours: 2

CE Course Description

Individuals with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders (COD) are common in behavioral health and primary health settings. These individuals frequently benefit from pharmacologic interventions, whether for mental disorders, substance use disorders, or both. As a companion to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) General Principles for the Use of Pharmacological Agents to Treat Individuals with Co-Occurring Mental and Substance Use Disorders, this document provides guidelines for pharmacologic interventions for individuals with PTSD and co-occurring opioid use disorders.

CE Course Objectives

1. Describe the prevalence of PTSD in adults in the United States, as well as the co-occurrence of PTSD and substance use disorders.

2. Outline various psychosocial and pharmacologic interventions for treating PTSD in individuals with opioid disorders.

3. Identify the use of specific medications to treat PTSD and opioid dependence.

4. Discuss polysubstance abuse in those with opioid dependence and PTSD.

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One Mind for Research

Patrick Kennedy (Ted’s son and a former Congressman from Rhode Island), is the co-chair of the charity One Mind for Research. One Mind for Research is a non-profit that has begun the largest study ever undertaken of traumatic brain injuries and PTSD. Their goal is to boost by 20% the spending by government and drug companies on mental illness research. 

Read more about the work of One Mind here. Their work could have a major impact on the future treatment of PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. You can also join them on Facebook here. 

Veterans Battle PTSD Stigma

PTSD in Veterans

Nearly half of employers -- 46 percent -- said PTSD or other mental health issues were challenges in hiring employees with military experience, according to a 2010 Society of Human Resource Managers survey. And a 2011 survey of 831 hiring managers by the Apollo Research Institute found that 61 percent were "less favorable" toward hiring military personnel when considering war-related psychological disorders.

About 20 percent of Iraq or Afghanistan veterans will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder brought on by living through extremely stressful or life-threatening events; the more tours of duty, the greater the risk of PTSD. It can be devastating if untreated and lead to depression, panic attacks and drug abuse, and can increase the risk of suicide. Veterans commit one in five of all suicides in the U.S.

Yet recent high-profile news about veteran violence and its possible links to PTSD may speak louder than realities of the illness. It’s treatable, rarely leads to violent acts and is not uncommon -- six to eight percent of Americans will develop PTSD in their lifetime.

For more on Hiring our Heroes, an initiative from NBC News and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that aims to get veterans back into the workforce, click here. Learn more about job fairs for veterans here.