PTSDJournal to Host Invisible Wounds Conference at Rutgers-Newark

The Invisible Wounds Conference, presented by PTSDJournal magazine to increase awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), will be held Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017 from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m. at the Paul Robeson Center (350 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.) on the campus of Rutgers-Newark. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker will provide the opening remarks via a video presentation. Registration begins at 8 a.m.

The event, which coincides with National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, will feature three 90-minute panel discussions focused on how PTSD is a common trait among victims of domestic violence, citizens living in urban communities and veterans adjusting to civilian life. Thought leaders in each discipline will discuss research and remedies to support improved conditions for individuals and communities impacted by these three circumstances.

Featured speakers include Sgt. Dakota Meyer, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Sgt. Meyer is the second-youngest living Medal of Honor recipient and the first living Marine in 38 years to be so honored. Other speakers include sexual assault survivor Ron Blake; filmmaker Jillian Bullock; Dave Riley, past commander of Disabled American Veterans (DAV); Dr. Kristin Tugman, from Prudential Group Insurance; and Iraq War veteran Chris Kreiger, co-founder of WNYHeroes, a nonprofit organization that provides veterans, widows and children of deceased veterans with access to financial assistance and other resources to help these individuals improve their lives.

Participants will be able to engage with experts in civilian and military populations that will include VA administrators, emergency physicians and nurses, social workers, first responders, police and firemen, human resource and mental health professionals, plus school administrators, teachers and clergy.

The facts about PTSD are startling. Research shows PTSD victims of domestic abuse lose over eight million days of paid work each year and the cost of domestic violence exceeds $8.3 billion annually. Children in urban communities are more likely to suffer from PTSD than a soldier returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. Over half a million US troops deployed since 2001 suffer from PTSD and every month nearly 1,000 veterans attempt to take their own life.

Victor Nichols, the publisher of PTSDJournal, said the publication is dedicated to improving the quality of life for PTSD sufferers and their loved ones. “The magazine’s motto is ‘Not All Wounds Are Visible’, and delivers in-depth research articles, personal narratives and alternate solutions that highlight the causes of PTSD and the keys to recovery,” Nichols said. “Like PTSDJournal, we hope the Invisible Wounds Conference will provide physicians, scientists, therapists, patients and their friends and families with an outlet for PTSD awareness and will help educate the PTSD community and the general population about how to live with PTSD and where to get help.”

Passes for the Invisible Wounds Conference are $90 per person and can be purchased online at www.ptsdjournal.com/iwc. For more information about the conference or PTSDJournal, visit www.ptsdjournal.com or follow at www.facebook.com/PTSDJournal.