Showing posts with label PTSD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PTSD. Show all posts

Monday, September 23, 2013

Sponsor a Rescue Dog, Save a Veteran

SMITHTOWN, NY – (September 23, 2013) – Of the thousands of service men and women in the armed forces overseas, an increasing number of troops are now returning with post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD. According to the United States Department of veterans Affairs, PTSD can occur after a life-threatening event or trauma, and can eventually lead to major health and mental health problems.  Sleeplessness, memory loss and overall anxiety are just a few of the symptoms of those suffering from this disorder, and finally an antidote has been found in the form of partnering the PTSD sufferer with man's best friend.

“Therapy dogs are of great importance to veterans suffering from PTSD,” says Robert Misseri, CEO and founder of Guardians of Rescue, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping veterans through their Paws of War program. “We have placed multiple dogs with veterans suffering from PTSD, and our Paws of War program has been proven successful time and time again in helping our service men and woman return to their normal lives,” says Misseri.

Guardians of Rescue is currently aiding veterans returning from overseas through their Paws of War program.  The team rescues dogs from kill shelters and war torn areas, trains them, and then carefully matches them up with a PTSD patient, to help them through their recovery.

"It is our belief that heroes deserve heroes, and in order to make this possible, help from the public is critical so that we may meet our goals,” says Misseri. “We have implemented a program requesting a donation of $2000 to take a rescue dog and train and prepare him for the task of becoming a returning veteran's partner in wellness. This is an expensive task, but with the help of our volunteers and the monetary aid of our citizens, we strive to succeed."

Guardians of Rescue is on call and staffed entirely by it’s tireless volunteers every day, every hour.  Funded only by donations, the organization is appealing to all animal and people lovers to help it continue it's good work.  Sponsoring a therapy dog will not only save the animal, but will go towards the training to become a service companion for a veteran in need.  By sponsoring, you will receive a certificate with the name and picture of the dog you saved, and in doing so insure that he will then help save a veteran.

"Sponsorship is a great way to become personally involved, as you can monitor the dog through the training process and placement, says Misseri. We are hopeful that this sponsorship will help us continue our rescue efforts, and we encourage personal donations as well as corporate ones, anything that helps us reach our goals of easing the pain of veterans suffering from this illness and the placing of animals in need of homes. All donations, no matter how small, are needed and appreciated, as the cost of properly training these service animals is high.”

To learn more, or to make a donation to support the Guardians of Rescue, log onto www.guardiansofrescue.org.

About Guardians of Rescue

Based in New York, Guardians of Rescue is an organization whose mission is to protect the well being of all animals. They provide aid to animals in distress, including facilitating foster programs, rehabilitation, assisting other rescue groups, and providing support to families, both military and not, who need assistance due to economic factors. To learn more about Guardians of Rescue, visit the site at www.guardiansofrescue.org.

Friday, May 03, 2013

Take the 3-Minute Mental Health Screen Free for May, Mental Health Month


ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND – (May 3, 2013) – According to the National Institute of Mental Health, in any given year approximately 25 percent of the adult population in the country are diagnosable for one or more mental health disorders. What’s more, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that antidepressants rank as the third-most-common prescription drugs taken by Americans of all ages. May is known as Mental Health Month, making it a great time to raise awareness about the need for evaluation.

“Many people suffer from mental health issues but are unaware of it, of how serious it is, or what to do about it,” explains Dr. Gerald Hurowitz, an assistant clinical professor of psychology at Columbia University, as well as president of M3 Information, a company that makes tools to assist in mental health assessment and management. “That’s why so many people are taking three minutes out of their busy day in order to see what their number is.”

M3 has developed WhatsMyM3 mental health screen, the only assessment tool that has been medically proven to screen for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and PTSD.  The tool can provide helpful information to the person taking it, as well as to clinicians.

The three minute test online at WhatsMyM3.com has always been free.  For the month of May the developers have made the iTunes and Google Play WhatsMyM3 app, which gives people the ability to track their scores, as a free download.  By answering a series of questions about how one is feeling and sleeping, and a variety of other lifestyle factors, the person is given a score. A score of 33 and up may indicate that the individual’s life is being impacted by a mood disorder.

In the efforts to end the stigma surrounding mental health, people are sharing their WhatsMyM3 mental health scores on line and using the hashtag #WhatsYourNumber to encourage others to do the same..
“Having an underlying mental health issue can be devastating,” adds Dr. Gerald Hurowitz. “It impacts your life, it puts you at a higher risk for chronic diseases, and it can take years off of your life. Our three-minute test can be life-changing for those who may need mental health assistance.”

To learn more the mental health screen, or to take  the test, visit the site at www.whatsmym3.com.   To learn more about the social media campaign and the partnership with Mental Health America please visit: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/llw/depression_screen.cfm

About M3 Information
M3 Information, based in Rockville, Maryland, creates innovative tools that help people with mental health assessment and management. The goal of the Mental Health Number tool is to help people assess their state of mental health within three minutes. It was created based on the M3 Checklist validation study that was published in the Annals of Family Medicine. The information provided by the test helps reduce the incidence of missed mental health cases and mistreatment. For more information about M3 Information, visit the site at www.whatsmym3.com

Sources:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Antidepressant Use in Persons Aged 12 and Over. <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db76.pdf>
National Institutes of Mental Health. Any Disorder Among Adults. <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/1ANYDIS_ADULT.shtml>

Spring flowers - Photo by Annelise Woodward

Crab apple blossom - Photo by Annelise Woodward