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Text Box: Coping With PTSD in the Workplace Source: Military.com, http://www.military.com/Careers/Content1?file=careersArticlesCopingPTSD.htm&area=Reference&ESRC=careers-b.nl Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a growing diagnosis within the military community. More and more servicemembers suffer from PTSD or PTSD-like symptoms after long deployments. In fact, one in six veterans was diagnosed with PTSD in 2005, according to an Austin American-Statesman report.
What's more, veterans diagnosed with PTSD have been stigmatized in the civilian workplace, reports ADAWatch.org (the website for the Americans with Disabilities Act). And although it is prohibited to deny veterans employment, this stigma often makes it difficult for veterans to find a job, or maintain current employment.
However, the National Mental Health Association and Monster.com are ready to help veterans cope with PTSD in a new job by offering the following tips: Accept your feelings. You may find yourself denying the warning signs or worrying what others may think. But, if you accept that these feelings are normal and common among others you can move past what co-workers might think. Educate yourself. Learn about the diagnosis, symptoms and available treatments. Local Mental Health Associations, public libraries and the Internet are all good resources. Establish a support network. Seek out your own support from family and friends. Self-help and support groups also provide an opportunity to talk with other people who experience the same types of issues you are. They can listen and offer valuable advice. Know your benefits. Investigate whether or not your employer-sponsored health plan covers treatments for PTSD. If not, double check with the VA to see what your options are. Understand that it's not just about medication. Recovery from PTSD isn't only a matter of 'just staying on your medication.' Self-esteem, social support and a feeling of contributing to society are also essential elements of recovery and should be supported. Stay on a regime you know keeps you stable. If your medication works, don't take med vacations without your doctor's expressed approval. Stay away from substances you know will impair your functioning, and try to get regular exercise -- one of the best stress

Text Box: The best thing you can do to cope with your PTSD is to maintain hope. If you maintain your treatments and accept help from your employer, the military and your loved ones, you will overcome this diagnosis and have a productive life and career.
For more information about PTSD visit Military.com's PTSD resources page (http://www.military.com/benefits/resources/ptsd-overview). And to search for military-friendly employer visit Military.com's Career Center (http://www.military.com/Careers/Content1?file=EmployerList.htm&area=Reference).

Text Box: Schedule of Upcoming Activities Here’s a listing of activities that DBSA Colorado Springs will be involved in through the end of August, and that will be of interest to people with mood disorders, their friends, and family members. Many of these events are still in need of volunteers, so if you have time, please call Larry or Marsha Ritterband at 719-328-0579 or the Resource Center at 719-477-1515. Saturday, July 14: Northern Churches Care Back-to-School Health Screening. Pulpit Rock Church, 301 Austin Bluffs Parkway.
Monday, July 23 2007: DBSA Initiatives 13th Annual Summertime Picnic. Monument Valley Park Pavilion, 5:30-8:00 p.m. Hamburgers, hot dogs, or luscious deli-style sandwiches, along with cold drinks and paper goods, will be provided by DBSA Colorado Springs. We request that you bring side dishes, salads, fruit, and desserts.

Text Box: DBSA 2007 National Conference “Making the Recovery Connection” Orlando, Florida, August 10-12, 2007 This year’s 3-day conference will feature 16 educational sessions presented by some of the nation’s leading mental health experts such as Greg Simon, M.D., MPH, Peter Ashenden, John McManamy, Lana Castle, Steve Propst, and many more. Keynote speakers include Kathy Cronkite (noted author and daughter of fabled newsman Walter Cronkite), Greg Louganis (5-time Olympic champion), and Joseph Rogers, a 2005 recipient of the Heinz Award for the Human Condition. DBSA conferences are intensely educational and motivational, and provide opportunities for networking. You can go to www.DBSAlliance.org to learn how you can register