Sex and Meaning

For Immediate Release (May 22, 2008)

Contact: Megan Freed or Sharon Lewis (914) 833-7093

CONFERENCE OPENS DOOR TO NATIONAL DIALOGUE
ON SEXUAL HEALTH FOR WOUNDED TROOPS AND PARTNERS

Washington , DC . A pivotal conference, Wounded Troops and Partners: Supporting Intimate Relationships, was held yesterday in Washington D.C. The conference was the first to embark on a national dialogue on how government leaders, U.S. agencies, healthcare providers, and communities can help wounded troops and their partners develop and maintain healthy intimate relationships. The conference was organized by The Center of Excellence for Sexual Health at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta , under the leadership of former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher.

According to Dr. Satcher, the issue of sexual health for people with disabilities tends to be a neglected area. “People suffer silently. Wounds are often invisible,” stated Dr. Satcher during his opening remarks to the crowd of 70 public and private agency leaders, healthcare professionals, members of the armed services, veterans, and concerned civilians. Dr. Satcher reminded the audience, “We are all sexual beings – we need to spend more time dealing with that – it’s an integral part of who we are.”

The conference aimed to draw attention to the often overlooked links between mental and physical disabilities – like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, and serious burns – with failed intimate relationships that contribute to suicide, divorce and other problems among servicemen and women. “Upward to 80 percent of army suicides can be attributed to failed intimate relationships. It can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” said Dr. Mitchell Tepper, Assistant Project Direct for the Center of Excellence for Sexual Health at Morehouse School of Medicine. “Healthy intimate relationships contribute to recovery from physical and mental trauma, while lack of a satisfying intimate relationship contributes to ongoing mental health problems and suicide,” he said.

In a heartfelt keynote address, Lee Woodruff spoke of her husband Bob Woodruff ’s recovery from injuries similar to the ones acquired by members of the armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan . She spoke about the importance of family and faith in healing. Two brave veterans, Dave Roever, a Vietnam War Veteran, and Robert “BJ” Jackson, a double-amputee of the Iraq war, spoke candidly to the attendees about the importance of sexual health and the often awkward process, filled with trial and error, of re-establishing intimate relationships with their spouses.

According to BJ and his wife Abby Jackson, communication is the key to recovery. Early in BJ’s recovery, he wondered, “Is my wife going to love me for who I am?” BJ was sedated for several weeks, and said of Abby, “She was right there [for me] when I woke up.” According to Abby, BJ’s recovery would have been faster if the doctor would have given her a better answer than simply, “It takes time” to her direct question about her husband’s hesitation to engage in a sexual relationship with her again. Abby added that intimacy was also hampered by the limitations of BJ’s hospital room, including a small bed and a lack of privacy. “People are constantly coming and going from your room. We didn’t know the boundaries. Are you allowed to close the curtain?” Abby pointed out that some hospital rooms now have double beds.

Attendees also discussed how important it is to de-stigmatize the need for mental health care, strengthen initiatives around intimate relationships for persons with disabilities, and develop and expand enduring networks of people to serve these populations.

Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona spoke of his experiences of being wounded in Vietnam . Although Dr. Carmona’s physical wounds were addressed, “There was no consideration of mental health.” Dr. Carmona’s son served in Iraq , and “came home devastated.” Carmona called for immediate Congressional action so that mental health care has parity with physical health care.

A recent RAND Corporation study estimates that 20 percent of military service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan experience major depression or post traumatic stress disorder, but due to looming stigma of mental illness, only about half of those seek treatment. The same study revealed that 19 percent of returning troops report experiencing a traumatic brain injury while deployed.

For more information on the Center of Excellence for Sexual Health, please visit http://cesh.msm.edu . To view a recorded Webcast of the conference, or to access a transcript, please visit: http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=2570 .

The mission of the Center of Excellence for Sexual Health (CESH) is to raise the level of national dialogue on human sexuality, sexual health, and well-being in a sustained, informed, honest, mature, and respectful way and to link it to actions that reflect scientific evidence and deeply held beliefs.