Seeking Resilience

A common perception is that post-traumatic stress is an issue facing veterans of war, journalists and first responders. But Behind the Facade, Post-Traumatic Stress , a multimedia report published in the New York Times Health section November 23, puts the focus on an attractive young woman in a flowered dress walking her dog on the streets of Manhattan.

Reporter Karen Barrow profiles Robin Hutchins, 25, who, after years of denial, panic attacks and generalized anxiety, was diagnosed with a stress disorder stemming from a rape that occurred when she was a freshman in college. Barrow ultimately found help from a therapist specializing in trauma – and from the ongoing emotional support from a dog named Dexter – a Lhasa Apso she adopted from a shelter who has been trained to comfort her in stressful situations. 

The report, part of the Times's ongoing Patient Voices series, quotes Dr. Frank Ochberg, Dart advisor and clinical professor of psychiatry at Michigan State University, who notes that up to 80 percent of rape victims suffer from traumatic stress. It also features "When Trauma Lingers," a first-person video report from Hutchins and links to an abstract from the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences to research by Murray B. Stein and others, about structural brain changes related to PTSD. There's also a comprehensive array of information and resources on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder  from The Times Health Guide.

Times' Health writer Tara Parker-Pope has created a space for readers to comment on Barrow's report on her Well blog. Read the lively, sensitive and responsibly moderated discussion here. 

Not every news organization has the resources of the New York Times to throw at a story. But this tidy package stands as a set of best practices that can inform any reporter's work:  an accessible, respectful and down-to-earth effort to inform the public and increase understanding about an issue that so deeply affects so many people.