Documentary Filmmaker Anita Sugimura Holsapple Talks About TBI and PTSD

"Mental Valor" is a documentary focused on military psychology and how this impacts troops and families during time of loss, deployment and injuries, including battles with TBI and PTSD.

Anita Sugimura Holsapple, the creator/producer of this in-progress documentary, was the guest on the BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com that I co-host with Nancy Brown of YourMilitary.com.

While below is the link so that you can hear the entire BlogTalkRadio interview, one aspect was barely mentioned that intrigued me. Thus I asked Anita to write a short guest post about this aspect:


The issues of psychological warfare have been around since war began. From the strategy of the Spartans to the clandestine movements of the Ninjas, warriors have always held an element of psychology in their execution.

Psychology and warfare have long been partners, and in the U.S. it was during the Civil War that psychologists began to study the effects of psychological warfare upon troops. Now known as Division 19 -- The Society for Military Psychology, the early scientists documented various effects of war and trauma.

But it wasn't until 1939 that a psychological committee was actually formed. Known then as the Committee on the Selection and Training of Military Personnel, this was the "birth" of Division 19.

Division 19 is one of the original divisions of the American Psychological Association. It "represents an 'intellectual town hall' for psychologists who share in common an interest in psychological issues pertaining to military personnel and their families.

"The society encourages research and the application of psychological research and clinical methods to military problems. Military psychologists may be either civilians or uniformed personnel, and their academic backgrounds may reflect any specialty area in the broad field of psychology."

The term PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, was first utilized during the Vietnam War. However, it wasn't until 1980 that the term and issue were "formally recognized" and thus listed in the DSM-111. (ptsd.va.gov)

However, the biggest concern today is the issue of TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury. Because of our increased armor and medevac abilities, troops are now surviving what used to cause causalities. Thus the brain injuries are escalating anxiety disorders due to the physical injury that results in psychological injuries.

For more on Division 19, see www.apadivision19.org/

For more on TBI, see www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tbi/tbi.htm

Listen to the BlogTalkRadio show interview of Anita now.

FYI -- Anita's documentary website is www.MentalValor.com, and more information on her project can be found on my new website www.InSupportOfOurTroops.com
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She is also an Internet business consultant and the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com.

Phyllis' company provides Internet marketing training as well as social media marketing to promote your business more effectively.