Military medicine
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Comparative Study
Depression in men with traumatic lower part amputation: a comparison to men with surgical lower part amputation.
This study aimed at comparing the prevalence of depression among traumatic and surgical amputees and examining the relationship between depression and sociodemographic/clinical characteristics of amputees. Participants were 49 patients with traumatic lower part amputation and 35 patients with surgical lower part amputation. The diagnosis of depression in each participating patient was confirmed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, Turkish version. ⋯ However, in the surgical group, depression was associated with age, education level, marital status, economic status, time since amputation, and whether the patient was treated with prosthesis. Our data indicated that depression is a common clinical condition among amputees. Clinicians may be advised to schedule periodic contacts with amputees over long periods to identify those in need of psychiatric intervention.
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The purpose of this article was to document the efforts of two military installations in facilitating Critical Incident Stress Management teams for Federal Emergency Management Agency Rescue and Recovery Units following the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. McGuire Air Force Base accepted the mission to support the rotating task forces with emotional support, and Fort Dix offered temporary lodging while the teams were in-bound and out-bound to the "Ground Zero" site. A team, comprised of staff from both installations due to the configuration of professional and support staffs, does the Critical Incident Stress Management work. ⋯ Many rescue organizations have their own "debriefing teams," yet it is believed that "outside teams" may be helpful as interim measures to demonstrate the universality of the process of coping with traumatic stress and grief management. It is hoped that this article honors the workers who came together to help in a very difficult time for our country. This article documents the interim measures that were taken for a group of people moving through crisis.