Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has been documented back to 500 BC, but it has been largely misunderstood until recently. Bestselling author, Pamela Schoenewaldt, writes about PTSD (then called shell shock) during World War I in her new novel, Under the Same Blue Sky.

On Thursday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m. at Lawson McGhee Library, Schoenewaldt will read from her new novel. She is joined by Dr. Ellison Mitchell, a clinical psychologist specializing in stress management and post-traumatic stress disorder. Admission is free.

Through her historical novels, USA Today bestselling author, Pamela Schoenewaldt, explores issues facing Americans in the 20th century. Her latest novel, Under the Same Blue Sky, offers vivid images of military and civilian shell shock symptoms from the Great War. Now called post-traumatic stress disorder, shell shock was a common malady of returning veterans then and remains so today as one in three combat veterans suffers some form of PTSD.

Under the Same Blue Sky, tells the story of a young woman grappling with the realities of war and the ravages it takes on the human psyche. After the reading, Dr. Mitchell and Ms. Schoenewaldt will discuss the history of PTSD, symptoms of which were recorded as early as 500 BC, along with a screening of rare documentary footage of World War I shell shock victims. Dr. Mitchell, a Navy veteran, outlines promising new treatment options for PTSD.

This program is of special interest to members of the helping professions, care-givers and all who are interested in a condition affecting millions of Americans today. Handouts of community resources for PTSD survivors, family members, and care-givers will be available.