Technology complementing military psychology programs and services in the Pacific Regional Medical Command.

The Tripler Army Medical Center is the only federal tertiary care hospital serving the Pacific Regional Medical Command. Due to Tripler's large area of responsibility, many behavioral health professionals are starting to employ more technology during their sessions. As explained in this article, virtual reality and telepsychology efforts are proving to benefit military service members and their families in the Pacific Rim.

The effectiveness of VR exposure therapy for PTSD in returning warfighters.

In the decade following the attack on the World Trade Center, over 2.3 million American military personnel were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Lengthy tours of duty and multiple re-deployments were characteristic of these operations. Research findings demonstrate that prolonged exposure to combat increases the risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current study was a randomized controlled clinical trial designed to assess the effectiveness of a novel intervention to treat combat-related PTSD in returning Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) warfighters. A cognitive behavior treatment approach augmented with virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) was developed, and administered for 10 treatment sessions over 5 weeks. Comparisons with a control group receiving minimal attention (MA) for 5 weeks revealed that the VRE group had significant reductions in the avoidance/numbing symptoms on the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). The VRE group also had significant reductions in guilt at post-treatment compared to the control group.

Technology complementing military behavioral health efforts at tripler army medical center.

The purpose of this article is to provide a short narrative on the ways that behavioral health professionals and their patients are currently benefitting from the use of technology. Examples stem from applications of technology to patients/research participants at the Tripler Army Medical Center. The paper also discusses how current use of this technology has made it possible to serve individuals in their own cultural environment, providing a cost-effective means of providing mental health services.

Use of immersive virtual reality for treating anger.

Poorly managed anger responses can be detrimental to one's physical and psychosocial well-being. Cognitive behavior therapies (CBT) have been found to be effective in treating anger disorders. A key component of CBT treatment is exposure to the anger arousing stimuli. Virtual reality (VR) environments can elicit potent reactions and may facilitate the treatment of anger. An anger VR environment with six video vignettes was developed by this study to examine the anger arousal potential of VR. Outcome measures included assessment of emotional reactivity, state anger, and presence. The results showed that significant anger arousal occurred during exposure to the VR environment, and arousal was greater when viewed in an immersive HMD than a non-immersive flat screen. In addition, presence was found to moderate the effects of VR. Low presence resulted in low reactivity regardless of the display modality.

Effectiveness of brief VR treatment for PTSD in war-fighters: a case study.

War-fighters exposed to combat are at high risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a complex and challenging condition to treat. Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) have been empirically validated as effective treatments for PTSD resulting from sexual assault, vehicular accidents, and disasters. Exposure, imaginal or in vivo, to the traumatic event is a central component of successful CBT treatment. Early studies indicate that CBT with brief virtual reality exposure (VRE) is beneficial in treating PTSD. The case study examined the effectiveness of brief VRE in treating combat-related PTSD.

The receptiveness of stress management techniques by military personnel.

Many military service members suffer from stress. Sixty Soldiers participated in a study designed to test receptivity to stress management techniques. Preliminary analyses of surveys and a focus group suggested that participants not only liked practicing relaxation techniques but would also continue practicing these after completion of the present study.

Prescribing non-psychopharmacological agents: a new potential role for psychologists in primary care settings and specialty clinics.

At least 10 years have passed since the Department of Defense Psychopharmacology Demonstration Project graduated its first class of psychologists. All graduates of that program were credentialed to prescribe and the program received promising external reviews and audits. The profession has since moved well beyond the initial question, "Can and should psychologists prescribe?" posed over two decades ago. A number of professional schools and training institutions have implemented postdoctoral psychopharmacology training programs and over 20 states are actively pursuing legislative agendas. Given recent initiatives to provide health psychology services within the primary care arena, the authors introduce a new role in the scope of psychology's prescribing activities. They propose that psychopharmacological agents are not the only medications psychologists should be trained to prescribe and psychopharmacology training should include course work and supervision related to treatment within a primary care patient setting in addition to a traditional psychiatric one. The authors provide the rationale for primary care clinical health psychology training as the appropriate mechanism for psychopharmacology education and practice. Public health needs and epidemiological data provide the rationale for health psychologists additionally prescribing non-psychopharmacological agents.

Clinical effectiveness of sustained-release bupropion and behavior therapy for tobacco dependence in a clinical setting.

Despite decades of public education, cigarette smoking remains a serious health problem. The treatment approach at Tripler Army Medical Center is a unique collaboration of family practice physicians and health psychologists providing combination therapy to patients attempting to quit smoking. This article discusses a program evaluation of the Tripler Army Medical Center smoking cessation program. Patients attempting to quit smoking were assisted with a combination of cognitive-behavioral group therapy and sustained-release bupropion hydrochloride. At 6 months postintervention, patients who attended the smoking cessation programs were contacted via telephone and asked to complete a survey regarding their smoking status. One hundred forty-four participants completed the survey. Thirty-five percent of all contacted attendees remained abstinent from smoking at 6 months after intervention. A significantly greater percentage of men quit than women. There were no significant differences of abstinence rates by any other demographic characteristic or smoking history variable. Family practice physicians and health psychologists providing a combination of pharmacological and group cognitive-behavior therapy for nicotine dependence are effective in promoting abstinence from smoking.