"Healthy Kids: Pediatrician soldiers on the front lines for military families."

Dr. Edward Bailey, of Massachusetts General Hospital, recently reported that:

"Separation from family is stressful under the best of circumstances. Deployment is particularly challenging, due to its dangers, mysterious unpredictability and undetermined length of time away. Every member of a military family faces separation in a unique way. As deployment approaches, pre-separation stress begins and parents and children may exhibit sadness, fear, anger and denial. Anxiety over deployment can lead to sleep problems, depression and feelings of guilt...

...The impact of war and deployment on military families and their medical-care providers is more significant than most citizens realize. It is critical that families who are experiencing either direct or indirect effects of military stressors understand that they are not alone and support is available.

If you or a family member experiences these concerns, seek help from your pediatrician. To learn more about pediatrics in the military, visit www.AAP.org or search "Deployment and Children" online."

For complete text of the article, you can follow this link: "Healthy Kids: Pediatrician soldiers on the front lines for military families" in the Eagle Tribune online.

http://www.eagletribune.com/pulife/local_story_081065729.html?keyword=secondarystory