The Combat Stress Intervention Program (CSIP) is a 3-year

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

-funded research program to study

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

issues experienced by veterans returning from

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

and

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

. The $1.5 million study, which is managed under the Military Operational Medicine Research Program, focuses on Combat Stress Disorder,

Posttraumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

, and other post-deployment transitional challenges. The study also focuses on developing resources and solutions for such veterans. The study is being conducted by faculty from

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...

. Michael Crabtree, Ph.D. serves as Principal Investigator and Elizabeth Bennett Ph.D. serves as Co-Principal Investigator. Research partners include staff from Clemson University, Conemaugh Health System, and

Highlands Hospital Highlands Hospital was a hospital in Winchmore Hill, in the London Borough of Enfield which closed in 1993.

. John Dowling, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, is the project's military liaison. Washington & Jefferson College's

Dieter-Porter Life Science Building Washington & Jefferson College is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, which is located in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County, Pennsylvania e ...

serves as the project's headquarters. The project will develop strategies to use community providers and veterans' families to help, as many veterans are reluctant to use the

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

for fear of being stigmatized. Strategies for training National Guard unit commanders, based in part on the practices of the

Israeli army The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branc ...

, in mental health support will be developed. The project began in 2008, with the first phase including an anonymous survey of 1,500 National Guard and

Reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

members from Southwestern Pennsylvania to determine the veterans' needs. Outreach to the community included in participation in Veterans Day events at

Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Conemaugh Health System, a member of Duke LifePoint Healthcare, is the largest health care provider in west central Pennsylvania, with multiple hospitals, physician offices, and outpatient centers in eleven counties. Conemaugh Health System is l ...

in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Other events included hosting

Donald Meichenbaum Donald H. Meichenbaum (born June 10, 1940) is an American psychologist and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Waterloo, Ontario. He is a research director of the Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Tre ...

, an expert in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder from University of Waterloo. As of February 2010, CSIP had surveyed more than 750 veterans; while 43 percent acknowledging stress, emotional, alcohol, drug or family problems, while only 11.6% of that group expressed openness to receiving help. A chapter on "Unique Challenges Faced by the National Guard and Reserve" produced by the Combat Stress Intervention Program was included in the 2013 ''Military Psychologists' Desk Reference.''

References

{{W&J Military psychiatry Military medicine in the United States Washington & Jefferson College Anxiety disorders