PTSD event to help local support program

June 03--A local group private practice is teaming up with two national campaigns this weekend to educate the community on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) through an event featuring informational speakers, a bake sale and raffle.

The Coastal Carolina Neuropsychiatric Center (CCNC) is an outpatient mental health treatment facility in Jacksonville that will be raising funds at an event Saturday to benefit Project Healing Waters, a national campaign with a local program in Onslow County.

"PTSD is very relevant to our community. There's a very high diagnosis rate of PTSD in veterans and service members who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom," said Dawn Wrenn, an outpatient therapist with CCNC.

PTSD is a disorder that develops in some people who have seen or lived through a shocking, scary or dangerous event, according to the National Institiute of Mental Health.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Overview -- HealthGrove

According to Wrenn about 7 percent of the country's population has or is diagnosed with the mental illness; however that statistic is closer to 20 percent for veterans and service members who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

"We chose to partner with Project Healing Waters because they are a local organization that does really good work in complementary therapy," Wrenn explained. "We're really impressed by them."

Project Healing Waters is a nonprofit organization that offers services and programs to injured military members and disabled veterans through fly fishing and associated activities, including education and outings, according to its website.

"The program in part is men and women engaging in recreational activities, but it's so normal. It doesn't feel like treatment because these guys are just fishing or doing some other outdoor activity," said Wrenn, about the level of peer support within Project Healing Waters. "Ideally we want patients and those with PTSD to get their lives back."

To raise money for Project Healing Waters, there will be a donation based bake sale and a raffle with prizes that include: ten 1-hour massages at Her Bohemian Way, a cooking class hosted by local French restaurant TataJo, a gift certificate to Gypsy Rose Tattoo and other items.

CCNC is also supporting 22KILL on Saturday, a campaign that works to raise awareness of the suicide epidemic in the United States by having the community complete 22 pushups in a viral video challenge that will be held at 10 a.m Saturday.

- "As you may be able to tell by the name, 22 veterans are killed by suicide each day. We want to bring awareness to 22KILL because they offer peer support by making sure people have a line of contact somewhere or an advocate in the community," Wrenn said. "They are also veteran run and operated."

There will also be access to community resources, support services and entertainment at Saturday's PTSD awareness event.

___

(c)2016 The Daily News (Jacksonville, N.C.)

Visit The Daily News (Jacksonville, N.C.) at www.jdnews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.