Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

Drama Explores Wounds of War

By Geoff Buteau

Laura Linney and Brian d'Arcy James's portrayal of a wounded journalist couple in the play "Time Stands Still" sparks a discussion of war reporting's lasting effects.

Under Pressure in Pakistan

By Shaheen Buneri

As violence mounts in Pakistan, journalists and their families are feeling unsafe and insecure.

Myths of Fort Hood

By Bruce Shapiro

Journalists seeking an easy answer in PTSD threaten to obscure the real story of Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan's rampage.

Self-Medicating Veterans

Six journalism grad students working with ABC’s 20/20 spent the summer investigating the stories of soldiers who abuse drugs. In their TV report, soldiers speak to the students of going into war drug-free, but turning to cocaine, amphetamines, and prescription drugs to deal with their traumatic experiences. More »

Child Clinicians Use Unproven PTSD Therapies

According to a study in the September 2008 American Journal of Preventive Medicine, there are only a few proven, effective practices for treating children with post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet more than 75% of mental health professionals may be practicing something else. More »

Trauma, PTSD Shrink Hippocampus

According to a meta-analysis of 19 studies, trauma and PTSD symptoms may precede a reduction in the size of the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in learning and memory. The findings seem to support a physical, neurological component to PTSD. More »

PTSD Increases Heart Disease Risk

As a risk factor for heart disease, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is like “smoking two to three packs of cigarettes per day for more than 20 years,” according to a Geisinger study published in the July issue of Psychosomatic Medicine. More »

Army War College Bibliography on PTSD

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Military: A Selected Bibliography" has just been uploaded to the US Army War College website. The bibliography is an update of a 2005 bibliography compiled by the same librarian, Lori Sekala. More »

In-Depth Series: Veterans with PTSD

Last week, Alysa Landry at the Daily Times in Farmington, New Mexico penned a moving three-part series on veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Part one, Combat that Never Ends, tells the stories of Vietnam veterans who have wrestled with PTSD for decades, but only recently been diagnosed or treated. More »

A Comprehensive PTSD Handbook

In the American Journal of Psychiatry, Jonathan I. Bisson reviews the new Handbook on PTSD: Science and Practice, edited by Matthew J. Friedman, Terence M. Keane and Patricia A. Resickis. More »

Veterans No Longer Need to "Re-Prove" PTSD

Kelly Kennedy at the Air Force Times reports that the Veteran Affairs Department will no longer require veterans already diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder filing a disability claim to provide an additional written verification that they had witnessed or experienced a traumatic event. More »

Assault Victims Seek Military Justice

Judy Holland of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer carefully documents sexual assault within the military. Statistics and victims’ stories provide context for proposed legislation that would require an investigation into the handling of these cases and provide support for female veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. More »

Honoring a Victim of PTSD

Linda Tyssen of the Mesabi Daily News reports on the naming of AMVETS Post 33 after Noah Charles Pierce: a 23-year-old Army veteran of the war in Iraq who committed suicide in July, following a battle with post-traumatic stress disorder. More »

No Peace for Peacekeepers

The Torontoist reports that a new study from the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry has found a 10% rate of probable PTSD and a 29% rate of probable depression among Canadian peacekeepers. More »

Female Veterans Fight PTSD, MST

Sara Cardine of The (Stockton, Calif.) Record reports on a PTSD treatment group for female veterans. More »

Study Sheds Light on Course of PTSD

An article in this month's American Journal of Psychiatry studies the mental health of American veterans who were injured in Iraq or Afghanistan. Veterans were surveyed three times: one month, four months and seven months after deployment. More »

"Home but Still Haunted"

Washington Post reporter Donna St. George tells the story of Trinette Johnson, an Iraq War veteran suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. More »

New Look at Vietnam Vets' PTSD Data

A report published Friday in the journal Science has found "very little evidence of falsification" by Vietnam veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. More »

Rwanda Documentary Illuminates Lingering Effects of Genocide

By Kevin Kawamoto

Through the window of an airplane about to land in Rwanda, the verdant mountains and lush foliage below appear as a slice of paradise on earth. But those familiar with the history of this central African nation know that its past is far from heavenly.

Tomorrow’s Fish-and-Chips Paper

By Mary Self

It was going to be a big story, my journalist told me. In fact, it was going to be huge—my story had all the right elements for the ultimate tale of ‘triumph over tragedy’.