Concussion (or mild traumatic brain injury) due to accident and blast exposure has been one of the most common injuries reported from the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan (Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom). An effective method of treating the persisting symptoms of concussion and symptoms of distress (such as depression and anxiety) that could move easily with the service member would improve recovery and overall quality of life.
In this study, we are testing whether a telephone-based counseling intervention called problem-solving treatment or a control intervention of education alone help service members and National Guard/Reservists with concussion who have returned from deployment to improve symptom control and lessen depression and anxiety. This is a study which is funded by the Department of Defense. We have recruited service members to participate in this study from Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg. Three hundred fifty-six service members were enrolled and randomized into one of two groups to receive either telephone counseling calls or educational materials on coping with symptoms and stresses every other week for 6 months.
Problem solving treatment has been used to help treat many types of disorders including depression. By using a telephone to deliver this treatment, the service member’s anonymity will be enhanced (decreasing potential stigma associated with treatment) and the counseling can continue even if the service member is transferred to another base or is discharged from the service.
Data collection ended in December 2014. Staff are currently active checking data, performing data analyses, and generating manuscripts related to the study.