Last week's report about suicides of military personnel is a reminder that our nation faces a formidable challenge to meet the mental health needs of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families. Many are struggling with emotional turmoil and diagnosable mental and/or substance use disorders but are not getting the care they need and deserve.
Since October 2001, there have been over 2,000,000 deployments to combat theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan, including 793,000 multiple deployments. With each deployment, service members encounter extreme stress, contributing to unprecedented rates of physical, mental and substance use disorders -- most notably post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, addiction and traumatic brain injury (TBI) -- as well as high rates of suicide, homelessness and unemployment. Extended and repeated absences as well as personal changes among those who have experienced the dangers and horrors of war also take a psychological toll on their families.
Post Deployment Health Reassessment (PDHRA) data show that up to 38 percent of soldiers and 31 percent of marines suffer from negative psychological symptoms. The Department of Defense recently reported elevated rates of major depression and substance abuse. There are also increased cases of traumatic brain injury.
Untreated psychological symptoms often result in self medication with alcohol and drugs. According to the American Forces Press Service, 21 percent of service members admit to drinking heavily, significantly higher than civilians. Drug abuse among returning service members has also increased. National Guard and Reserve troops also experience mental and substance use disorders at unprecedented rates. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, reports that as many as 1 in 4 experience post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Federal VA has taken steps to increase health and mental health services to veterans. However, over 85 percent of veterans do not access VA health care. Some cannot get access because of the limited capacity of the VA. For others VA facilities are too far away. For many the VA is not the preferred source of treatment. They return to civilian life, hopefully get jobs with health benefits, and use local health and mental health providers rather than the VA. This includes local primary care physicians and mental health professionals, community health centers and hospital-based clinics, mental health clinics, social services agencies, emergency rooms and inpatient services in local general hospitals.
Unfortunately most of these providers do not have special expertise regarding veterans and their families. They are likely not to understand military culture about acknowledging pain and asking for help. They are likely not to ask about or grasp the extreme strains on family life that are a frequent concomitant of military service.
One possible solution is for the federal VA to expand services and to make them more accessible and appealing. This has been happening, and it is important. But, we believe that a great many veterans and their families will continue to turn to local care providers for help, if they turn to anyone at all.
What needs to be done?
1. The federal VA should increasingly contract with local providers and not just in rural areas; transportation can be a barrier to access in urban areas too.
2. Training regarding identification and treatment of mental health and substance use problems and about military culture should be provided for local physical and mental health and substance abuse providers.
3. State and local government need to accept more responsibility for serving veterans and their families.
4. This should include supporting increased access to local services.
We understand that these recommendations involve increased federal, state and local funding. Not possible in these difficult economic times? Our nation has found the funds to bail out many businesses. Doesn't it have a duty to find funds to bail out veterans and their families, who have sacrificed so much in service to our nation?
This article was co-authored by Karin Moran, Director of Policy for NASW New York State
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I've been treated for PTSD using acupuncture myself and it works very well.
What I've learned is that no one gives a crap. Not the Army, not civilians. Only the families of these soldiers. You can read my story at http://wonderwomanwarriorwife.blogspot.com
The author left out one other important factor in his list of what needs to be done:
Raise taxes to pay for war and its social aftermath.
America is not taking care of the soldiers we send to war and conflicts to the degree we have promised to.
As José Narosky, the famed Argentinian author said best, "In war, there are no unwounded soldiers."
Launching 'Operation Warrior Wellness' - Video highlights: Bringing Transcendental Meditation(TM) to veterans suffering from PTSD }}}
the 4 points Michealoff makes about anxiety are most effectively treated at a maharishi ayur veda clinic [ this requires some money ]
i hope TWeissMA learns TM
Frustrating, to say the very least.
As a disabled veteran who does indeed have PTSD in part due to the epilepsy I will have for the remainder of my life from my service to this nation I can tell you that the VA has yet to recognize that PTSD; they only recognize the epilepsy. My VA disability rating reflects this.
My father is a Vietnam Veteran who also has PTSD; he has absolutely NO trust in the Veterans Administration, let me tell you. I completely understand why. The one good thing the VA has done for me is the surgery to repair the damage to my knees. My VA doctor actually wrote, "body aches," down in my chart in regards to the osteoarthritis I experience; body aches.
21st Century health care my disabled rear end.
Instead of avoiding triggers & withdrawing, reduce the Anxiety & make the triggers much less potent & the memories less intrusive.
Meds & CBT are not the best ways.
The Body runs on biochemistry & automatically seeks balance & tries to heal itself. Give it the good nutrition, avoid things that make it sick, like sugar, caffeine, & drugs. I feel Psych meds are a scam. It's your life, form your decisions.
4 causes of Anxiety: Low Thyroid, hormonal disturbance, Toxicity especially from heavy metals, & the fourth is Pyroluria.
Pyroluria is the most common & the easiest to address. Lines running the length of the fingernails, crowded teeth, dry skin, usually poor dream recall (except for nightmares), & sensitivity to noise, bright lights & all stress are some of the symptoms. I believe Pyroluria is a real condition & is definitely Not genetic, but a very common multi-resistant infection.
Do diligent research on Pyroluria & the other 3. The more you take charge of your own life & health, the better results you will have.
Beware
I think an addition under your "What Needs to Be Done?" list could be helpful. If we did a better job of educating family members, friends and caregivers - providing access to community-based and web-based classes delivered in "pain language" format, as well as giving them access to needed counseling and support resources, our Veterans as a whole would be much better off. The first line of defense are the people in daily contact with a Veteran. The VA and military are doing a poor job (despite some pretty good efforts) of effectively reaching out to those who live with and/or love a mentally or physically wounded hero. This lack of aid to the caregivers of our vets is creating a trickle down effect as more and more families break under the pressure. Our family started a website [http://www.familyofavet.com] to help address this issue (and now contributed to by other families in the same boat). More needs to be done along those same lines. It's cost-effective and gives those who have served the best possible chance of learning to live again!
Thanks!