STORY:

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) clinical psychologist Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., says the real-time television coverage of the war in Iraq may have an affect on the elderly and veterans. “The vast amount of information and real-time coverage may be quite different from the way many elderly people have experienced coverage of war in the past,” says Klapow. “For veterans, the television coverage may trigger all kinds of past memories and past difficulties.”

WHO:

Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in the UAB Department of Psychology. His research interests include behavioral medicine and the link between health status, quality of life and chronic illness.

WHAT:

“Thirty years ago, when you turned on the television, news about a war wasn’t on every station and unfolding in real-time. Today, it surrounds people. This is particularly difficult for the elderly who may not be used to the pace of information coming in and watching a war unfold live.” The coverage may also be particularly difficult for widows and widowers and others who have lost spouses and loved ones in previous wars, says Klapow.

“But for veterans diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, they must realize that these events may trigger war-related memories, feelings of depression and anxiety and other PTSD-related symptoms. “Whether it’s a veteran suffering from PTSD or an elderly person experiencing distress, if the negative thoughts and feelings become so bad that it is difficult to function, it is important to seek help from either a mental health professional or primary care physician.”