Virginia Beach Municipal Center Shootings Response and Recovery Resources

Acts of mass violence, such as the mass shooting at the Municipal Center in Virginia Beach cause extreme disruption and distress for employees and the broader community. Victims, family and friends, first responders and emergency personnel, as well as workplace and community leaders are among those affected. Ongoing and graphic national media exposure creates a disaster “community” that extends far beyond the geographic region of the event. Individual and community strength can be enhanced by interventions that address critical behavioral health issues throughout response and recovery phases. Ideal interventions promote the evidence-based principles of Psychological First Aid (PFA), including: safety, calming, self- and community-efficacy, social connectedness, and a sense of hope/optimism.

Click HERE for resources that provide disaster mental health information to assist families, responders, community leaders, and healthcare providers in response and recovery efforts.

Army STARRS: Volume 3, Issue 3, Updated May 24, 2019

This document is an ongoing continuous summary of Army STARRS and STARRS-LS publications. Army STARRS (2009-2015) was the largest and most comprehensive research project of mental health among U.S. Army Soldiers ever conducted. The project was designed to examine a broad range of risk and resilience (protective) factors across a complex set of outcomes including suicidal behaviors and associated mental health issues. Army STARRS scientists created a series of large and extensive databases with the potential to achieve groundbreaking results. These databases allow scientists to investigate a diverse combination of factors from demographic, psychological, biological, neurological, behavioral, and social domains with the goal of generating actionable findings for the Army. The project was designed using an adaptive approach which means it evolved as new information became available over the course of the project. The research team shared preliminary findings, as they became available, with senior Army leadership so the Army could apply them to its ongoing health promotion, risk reduction, and suicide prevention efforts. The work is continuing under the STARRS Longitudinal Study (STARRS-LS) which runs from 2015 to 2020.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Individuals, families, organizations, and communities face many challenges that can impact mental health and well-being. Knowing where to go and what to do when difficulties arise allows us to better help ourselves and others. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness month, the Center is sharing a range of resources on suicide, family violence, and help-seeking to support a range of individuals and communities.

Please click HERE for information and resources

Personalized Medicine in Mental Health and Performance

The NATO Personalized Medicine in Mental Health and Performance Research Task Group held a meeting on the topic of Precision Medicine in Human Performance at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC on the 8th and 9th of May 2019. This international meeting, hosted by LTC Gary H. Wynn, MD and sponsored in part by the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, focused on identification of cutting-edge precision medicine techniques that will lead to improvements in how NATO member nations provide Mental Health problem prevention, diagnoses, and treatment as well as improvements in Mental Health aspects (e.g., focused concentration, mental endurance) related to Military-relevant mission performance. International representation included Canada, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom - along with a number of US partner institutions.

2018 CSTS Annual Report

Immediately available for viewing is the 2018 CSTS Annual Report. In this comprehensive report, you can read summaries of our work in both military and civilian populations to enhance psychological health, speed the recovery from, and help prevent the negative consequences of trauma on individuals, families, communities and nations.