DCoE Blog

• Taking Time Off Enabled My TBI Recovery

  Posted by Eve Baker, Marine Corps reservist on August 31, 2016

  

  On May 5, 2005, I was riding my bicycle to work at Marine Corps Base Hawaii when I was hit head-on by a careless driver. If I hadn’t been wearing a helmet, I likely would have died instantly or at least been left with extremely severe brain damage. Even with a helmet, I was still knocked unconscious and experienced a TBI. After a few days in intensive care, I was sent home under the 24-hour supervision of my mother, a registered nurse, and my fiancé, a Marine and former emergency medical technician.

  The doctors said that for a while all I was allowed to do was sleep, read or watch TV. I don’t remember much of the first couple weeks out of the hospital because I slept a lot – 12 to 16 hours a day. That’s common after a head injury, and it was all I wanted to do.

  Categories: Women, Traumatic Brain Injury, My Voice, Treatment   |   Comments (0)

• Marine Cyclist Recovers by ‘Following Doctor’s Advice’

  Posted by DCoE Public Affairs from the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center on March 2, 2016

  

  In honor of Brain Injury Awareness Month, we are featuring the stories of people who sustained brain injuries and recovered. In this post from A Head for the Future, Maj. Eve Baker was injured when a car hit her while biking to work. A video about Eve Baker’s brain injury experience is available on YouTube.

  In 2005, a car struck Marine reservist Maj. Eve Baker head-on while she was biking to work in Honolulu. She flew face-first into the windshield, shattering her helmet — which likely saved her life. Eve was immediately taken to the hospital and spent three days in intensive care.

  Categories: Women, Traumatic Brain Injury, Community Support, A Head for the Future   |   Comments (0)

• Clinician’s Corner: Journal Highlights Health Needs of Women in Combat

  Posted by Kate McGraw, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Deployment Health Clinical Center on February 23, 2016

  

  We are living in a time of great change. Change offers us many opportunities for positive growth. At the same time, change may create unanswerable questions, generate heated discussions or even produce anxiety in those impacted most by the change.

  Military Integration Changes

  The Defense Department has seen a number of significant changes related to structure and mission. Notably, in 2013, the secretary of defense rescinded the 1994 Direct Combat Definition and Assignment Rule, which had previously closed many combat-related military occupational specialties to female service members. This decision raised questions about the best ways to integrate women into these positions and focused attention on the physical and psychological health needs of all military females.

  In the spring of 2014, the Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs hosted the Women in Combat Symposium. More than 90 policy makers, researchers and service members from across the Defense Department examined women-in-combat issues related to fitness and health, operational, environmental, community and cultural factors. DCoE helped shape the symposium’s content and dialogue. My colleagues and I facilitated group discussions about the psychological health needs, resilience, and overall well-being of women in combat positions.

  Categories: Women, Clinician’s Corner, Families, DCoE, Substance Misuse Treatment, Psychological Health, Military Children   |   Comments (0)

• Social Support Is Vital to Women at War

  Posted by Carol Roos, DCoE Public Affairs on July 27, 2015

  
  U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marleah Robertson

  Men and women experience war differently, new research shows. For women in the military social support appears even more vital for maintaining good psychological health, compared to their male peers. Yet social support may be more difficult to find with 85 percent of the active-duty force composed of male service members. According to some female service members, sometimes women in the military find themselves ostracized by their units and social support withheld by the male service members who surround them.

  “Ostracism can produce long-term psychological and physical consequences,” said Dr. Kate McGraw, a 16-year Air Force veteran and former missile operations officer who is currently the associate director for psychological health clinical care at Deployment Health Clinical Center (DHCC).

  Categories: Women, readiness, Psychological Health   |   Comments (4)

• Women and Girls Face Greater Concussion Risk in Sports

  Posted by Beth Schwinn, DCoE Public Affairs on October 14, 2014

  
  DVIDS photo

  In sports played by both girls and boys, research shows that girls are more likely to suffer concussions and to be more seriously injured by them, an associate professor at Michigan State University told attendees of a webinar hosted October 9 by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.

  “Females are at a higher risk for concussion than male athletes,” said Tracy Covassin, Ph.D., who is also director of Michigan State’s Sport-Related Concussion Laboratory. “It’s even a higher risk than the typical college football athlete.”

  Six out of every 10,000 men who play ice hockey or lacrosse in college suffer concussions, she said, while 4.2 of every 10,000 men playing soccer do. The figures for college women are 7 per 10,000 for ice hockey, 6.7 for soccer, and 6.2 for lacrosse, according to a 2013 study by the National Collegiate and Athletic Association.

  Categories: Women, Traumatic Brain Injury, Military Children   |   Comments (0)

• Symposium Addresses Critical Issues Female Service Members Face in Combat

  Posted by Diana Moon, DCoE Public Affairs on May 20, 2014

  
  U.S. Air Force illustration by Senior Airman Micaiah Anthony

  Women are integral members of the armed forces. Last year marked a milestone for female service members when the Defense Department lifted the ban on women in combat. The decision overturned a 1994 rule that restricted women from the front lines.

  As more women assume combat roles, defense-related organizations are examining issues related to those roles. There’s increased attention on whether current policies effectively support women in combat positions, including policies on women’s mental health and well-being.

  That was the goal of the “Women in Combat Symposium” hosted in late April. Service members, veterans and military health care professionals gathered to take part of an effort by Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) and its partner organizations to help strengthen the mental health and resilience of women in combat. The event emphasized current mental health treatment programs, outreach and policies.

  Categories: Women, Conferences, Research, DCoE, Psychological Health   |   Comments (2)