VOICES: Agencies team up to bring cutting-edge PTSD treatment to Butler County

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a new monthly series of guest columns from the MHARS Board. Look for these columns on the last Thursday of each month in Ideas & Voices.

Whether we’re serving families and children, veterans, or the general population, each of our agencies promote the health and wellbeing of Butler County residents.

We recently joined forces to help residents suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) receive some of the most effective, cutting-edge treatment available: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR involves moving the eyes in a specific way while processing a traumatic memory. It sounds unusual, but EMDR is backed by years of research that shows it helps rewire the brain to reduce the impact of the event.

People who experience trauma – like domestic violence or serving in a war – are at risk for PTSD. In the social service field, we call traumatic events that occur in the early years “adverse childhood experiences”. They might include experiencing abuse or neglect or having a family member attempt or die by suicide. PTSD symptoms may include difficulty concentrating or sleeping. A person may be easily triggered by an intrusive and traumatic memory. They may feel threatened even when they aren’t in danger. They may be quick to sadness or anger, which could interfere with their ability to keep and form relationships. Experiencing trauma can have long-term implications for a person’s physical health as well. For example, people who suffer from PTSD are at higher risk for high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, and heart failure.

People with PTSD are also at higher risk for suicide, which is especially concerning because Butler County’s suicide rates remain too high. Last year, 57 Butler County residents died by suicide, including seven veterans. Since the first of this year, a total of 27 Butler County residents have taken their own lives. So far, 12 veterans, five more than last year’s total, have died by suicide. Veterans make up just over 5% of our total population, yet they account for nearly 44% of total suicide deaths this year.

Thanks to joint funding from the Butler County Families & Children First Council, the Butler County Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Services Board, and the Butler County Veterans Service Commission, Butler County will now have 20 clinicians who are trained to provide EMDR.

This month, our agencies have been sending the clinicians to an intensive 40-hour EMDR training where they learn the science behind how the brain processes stress and trauma – and how our own survival instincts can sometimes turn against us. Participants will learn how to administer “Psychological CPR”. These techniques, when practiced in the aftermath of a crisis, have been shown to diminish the event’s ability to disturb and disrupt a patient’s life.

Now, if any of the nearly 20,000 veterans in our county need help getting over something they experienced during their time in the service, they can receive the evidence-based treatment recognized by the Veterans Administration and Department of Defense. We will have better tools to help children who have witnessed violence or experienced a sudden loss. And we can help residents of all backgrounds process and move on from the most difficult moments of their lives. This gives people hope and peace of mind that will ripple through all of their relationships and make our entire county better off.

Our agencies count on public funding, so it’s important that we provide public benefit. We do that by working together to deliver the best possible services for the residents of Butler County. We can’t think of many better ways to do that than to help children, veterans, and anyone who needs it, heal from trauma, grow in resilience, and thrive.

Those interested in learning more about EMDR therapies can call the BCMHARSB Office at (513) 860-9240 and ask for Cara Brown. For general information and referral regarding mental health and addiction resources in Butler County, please call the Butler County Crisis Hotline at 1-844-427-4747.