New partnership aims to combat PSTD

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - During a visit to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, First Lady Michelle Obama announced a new partnership to help veterans prevent and cope with post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.

"Today, the nation's medical colleges are committing to create a new generation of doctors and medical schools and research facilities that will make sure our heroes receive care that is worthy of their service," Mrs. Obama said. 

VCU and Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk are just two of 105 school committed to the partnership.

WAVY.com spoke to a doctor at EVMS who is excited to get started on a study involving the NeuroStar chair, which she hopes will help the initiative.

Dr. Serina Neumann's chair is a little different from the one found in most psychologists offices. The NeuroStar chair has the power to stimulate your brain.

"There's an iron coil in here, it's a figure 8 and it produces a very focused electrical stimulation," Neumann said.

The chair is already FDA approved to treat depression, but Dr. Neumann wants to try it on war veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

The Department of Veterans Affairs reports 10 to 18 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans may have PTSD, a severe anxiety disorder that develops after a traumatic event.

Dr. Stephen Deutsch, Neumann's supervisor in EVMS' Psychiatry Department, believes so strongly in the study that he has put up some of his own money to help pay for it.

"They're socially withdrawn, easily startled by loud noises, they're suspicious, mistrustful," Deutsch said of PSTD sufferers. "We're developing what may be a very, very innovative treatment," Deutsch added.

Previous studies on veterans with PTSD showed circuits in their brains were off balance. Medication and therapy help some cope, but not everyone.

Neumann hopes the magnet's electrical current will return those circuits to normal.

"There is some discomfort. Some people describe it as a woodpecker pecking on their scalp," Neumann added.

But, she says the treatment is not dangerous.

Neumann explained, "It's a very focused type of treatment, so you're not stimulating the whole brain you're just stimulating about the size of a quarter."

For now, she is waiting for approval from the college, which should come soon.

If all goes well, suffering soldiers in Hampton Roads and across the country can start to heal.

The study will include just 10 people and Dr. Neumann will share her findings with other doctors and medical colleges through Mrs. Obama's "Joining Forces" initiative.