PTSD & Substance Abuse
PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee Update November/December 2021
December 8, 2021
BY THOMAS C. HALL, PH.D., CHAIR The PTSD/SA Committee continues to grapple with how to help new veterans manage the symptoms of PTSD. Americans, and especially veterans, may be feeling anguish over recent events in…
PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee Update July/August 2021
July 15, 2021
BY THOMAS C. HALL, PH.D., CHAIR During a national critical shortage of mental health professionals in which demand is surging, many Vet Center counselors have been sidelined. This decision was made despite the fact that…
PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee Update May/June 2021
June 28, 2021
BY THOMAS C. HALL, PH.D., CHAIR Upon returning to America, Vietnam veterans learned that each of us had experienced our own private wars alongside our brothers and sisters in arms. For those of us managing…
PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee Update March/April 2021
March 29, 2021
BY THOMAS C. HALL, PH.D., CHAIR Over the past year as the COVID pandemic raged, the PTSD/SA Committee continued to hold virtual meetings and work hard to build and strengthen resources and advocacy efforts. That…
PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee Update January/February 2021
February 6, 2021
BY THOMAS C. HALL, PH.D., CHAIR The holiday season, coupled with the impact of almost a year of isolation and loneliness because of the pandemic, has had an impact on our ability to communicate. As…
PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee Update November/December 2020
November 25, 2020
BY THOMAS C. HALL, PH.D., CHAIR There is no known cure for post-traumatic stress disorder. But PTSD symptoms can be managed to a point at which they no longer interfere with a person’s ability to…
PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee Update September/October 2020
September 10, 2020
BY THOMAS C. HALL, PH.D., CHAIR As the chair of VVA’s National PTSD and Substance Abuse Committee, I, and other mental health experts, have relied on guidance from the Department of Defense’s Center for the…
PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee Update July/August 2020
June 29, 2020
BY THOMAS C. HALL, PH.D., CHAIR Our freedom stands on the sacrifices of many. And what is sacrifice? It’s the “act of giving up something that you want to keep, especially in order to get…
Managing Our Demons While Sheltering in Place
May 14, 2020
Tom Hall, Ph.D., Chair, VVA National PTSD/Substance Abuse Committee As we enter our 7th, 8th, or even 9th week of sheltering in place, many of us are really starting to feel the burden this is…
Managing Problem Gambling
April 24, 2020
Dr. Thomas Hall, PhD, Chair, PTSD Committee Since the onset of the pandemic, with stay-at-home orders, the gambling industry has increased its online push, advertising on television and radio, and offering countless ways to gamble…