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9th Circuit Rules That “Zone of Danger” Sufficient to Justify PTSD Claims

The 9th circuit federal appeals court majority said Tuesday that a previous ruling, and an earlier Supreme Court decision, allow an emotonal damages suit alleging Posttraumatic Stress Disorder by a seaman who was in a negligently operated vessel’s “zone of danger.”

PowerPoint Slides from Lecture for Attorneys on Working with Traumatized Clients – by Susan M. Meffert, MD, MPH

A slide show accompanying a lecture for Attorneys by Dr. Meffert discussing the issue of working with traumatized clients.

A Prospective Study of Trait Anger and PTSD Symptoms in Police by Susan M. Meffert, MD, MPH et al

It is unknown whether anger is a risk factor for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, arises as a consequence of PTSD, or both. Two hypotheses were tested in 180 police recruits: Greater trait anger during training will predict greater PTSD symptoms at one year; greater PTSD symptoms at one year will predict greater state anger at one year. Both hypotheses were confirmed, suggesting that trait anger is a risk factor for PTSD symptoms, but that PTSD symptoms are also associated with an increase of state anger. Increased anger is important not only because of the impact it has on individual distress and physical health, but also because of its potential public health impact.

Darfur Refugees in Cairo: Mental Health and Interpersonal Conflict in the Aftermath of Genocide – Susan Meffert MD, MPH, Charles Marmar, MD

Hundreds of thousands of Darfur people affected by the Sudanese genocide have fled to Cairo, Egypt, in search of assistance. Collaborating with Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA), the authors conducted a mental health care needs assessment among Darfur refugees in Cairo. Information was collected using individual and focus group interviews to identify gaps in mental health care and develop understandings of emotional and relationship problems. The refugee mental health care system has a piecemeal structure with gaps in outpatient services. There is moderate to severe emotional distress among many Darfur refugees, including symptoms of depression and trauma, and interpersonal conflict, both domestic violence and broader community conflict, elevated relative to pregenocide levels. Given the established relationships between symptoms of depression/traumatic stress and interpersonal violence, improving mental health is important for both preventing mental health decompensation and stemming future cycles of intra- and intergroup conflict.

Scientists Read Brain’s Magnetic Fields to Spot PTSD

Scientists Read Brain’s Magnetic Fields to Spot PTSD
Test identified those with the disorder 90% of the time

PTSD In US Servicemen In Iraq – Interview with Dr. Levy – AP 5/12/09

AP 5/12/09: Father of US Army Sgt John M. Russell says his son was treated poorly in a a military stress treatment center in Baghdad before he killed 5 of his fellow soldiers on 5/11/09. Mark Levy, MD was interviewed about the nature of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and the role it may have played in […]

When is a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Claim Legitimate…and When Is It Not?

When is a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Claim Legitimate…and When Is It Not? by Mark I. Levy, M.D.  Asst. Clinical Professor Psychiatry University of California San Francisco School of Medicine (expanded version of article published in For the Defense,  November 1995) In prehistoric times, when our earliest ancestors lived in dread of their mortal enemy, […]

Deposing Mental Health Experts on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Chapter 716, Lawyers’ Guide to Medical Proof, Volume 4 edited by Marshall Houts, J.D., LexisNexis Mathew Bender 2002  Mark I. Levy MD co-author Download Deposing_MH_Experts.pdf