CBS 60 minutes aired a segment last Sunday (June 16) that featured Dr. Sean Mulvaney of ROSM Annapolis and a minimally invasive therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that he helped pioneer: Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB).
Once called “shell shock” or “war neurosis”, PTSD can be debilitating. Several of the veterans and PTSD survivors interviewed for the segment mentioned losing their relationships with loved ones and experiencing suicidal thoughts. Although PTSD can impact any survivor of trauma, it is well-documented among combat veterans and first-responders due to the highly stressful and dangerous nature of their professions.
“These people wrote a blank check to their nation that included their lives, and as citizens, we need to help them when they come home,” said Dr. Sean Mulvaney, a ROSM physician in Annapolis and former Navy SEAL and Army Physician.
Dr. Mulvaney first realized the potential for SGB a decade ago, after reading about a similar procedure used to treat hot flashes. Stellate Ganglion Block works by suppressing the body’s fight or flight response. The therapy consists of a single injection near the front of the neck, and takes just a few minutes. However, SGB is not a cure for PTSD.
“When we asked them to go do a dirty job, we didn’t tell them what was going to happen to them,” Dr. Mulvaney told 60 Minutes’ Bill Whitaker, “we didn’t tell them we were going to break them.”
Dr. Mulvaney has written more than five review papers on this topic. Additionally, he awaits the publication of his major study on this important topic. You can read more about Dr. Mulvaney’s research here.
To learn more about SGB at ROSM Annapolis, visit this page for more information.
