More Veterans and their families are coming to you for care.

Increasingly, Veterans and their families are seeking mental health and primary care services in their communities. Unfortunately, few civilians understand the military — a culture of its own — and are thus unable to provide culturally sensitive and clinically competent services. That’s why the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) and Essential Learning to bring an online training to communities across the country through the Serving Our Veterans Behavioral Health Certificate.

Consider these startling statistics…

The Mental and Physical Impact of War

• Since 2001, more than 2 million U.S. troops have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Mental health disorders caused more hospitalizations among U.S. troops in 2009 than any other reason, according to the federal Medical Surveillance Monthly Report. Many of those who have been injured return home with posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, traumatic brain injury, and addicition, and far too many die from suicide.
• Between 2005 and 2009, a member of the Armed Forces took his or her life every 36 hours, according to a 2010 U.S. Department of Defense report. The suicide rate among active duty soldiers dropped slightly in 2010, but the number of suicides in the National Guard and Reserves increased by 55 percent.



 

Impact on Families

• Current deployments are the lengthiest since World War II. Longer deployments increase the risk for psychological and physical health problems, as well as family disruptions and breakdowns.

• Cumulative lengths of deployments are associated with more emotional difficulties among military children and more mental health problems among U.S. Army wives.
• As many as one-fifth of married service members deployed for more than a year consider divorce.
• About 220,000 children have a parent currently deployed. Some children of deployed military members act out more, do poorly in school, and have more physical health problems.

Veterans In Your Community

• Nearly 40 percent of those deployed to combat operations since 2001are National Guard and Reservists — or “citizen soldiers.” These individuals are not attached to local military bases, which often provide tangible support and social connectedness. National Guard members are attached to state units and live in communities that are scattered widely across their states.
• Individuals with a psychological problem are significantly more likely to leave military service in the year following deployment. This means the responsibility of providing behavioral health care is shifting to the civilian sector.
• Understanding military culture is important for providing appropriate and clinically sound services to military personnel and families. Military culture is complex and completely separate from the civilian experience.

Fear and Stigma Related to Psychological Support

• While active duty troops and their families are eligible for care from the Department of Defense and National Guard and Reserve troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are eligible for behavioral health care services from the Department of Veterans Affairs, many are unable or unwilling to access these services. They may fear discrimination or harm to their military career or that of their spouse if they do so.
• Only about half of service members who need help for behavioral health problems seek it, and only half of those who seek help receive adequate care.

Enroll now in the Serving Our Veterans Behavioral Health Certificate program to help our heroes reclaim their lives, while earning 20+ continuing education hours for only $350!

Sources:

i Tan, M. (2009) 2 million troops have deployed since 9/11. Military Times. http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/12/military_deployments_121809w/.

ii Tyson, A.S. and White, J. (2007). Strained Army Extends Tours To 15 Months. The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/11/AR2007041100615.html

iii Lesser, P., Peterson, K., Reeves, J., et al. The long war and parental combat deployment: effects on military children and at-home spouses. (2010). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (4), 310–320.

iv Zoroya, G. (2010. Mental health hospitalizations up for troops. USA Today. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/05/gns_mental_health_051410/ (Original source: Pentagon’s Medical Surveillance Month Report.)

v Hoge, C.W., Auchterlonie, J.L., and Milliken, C.S. (2006). Mental Health Problems, Use of Mental Health Services, and Attrition From Military Service After Returning From Deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. JAMA. 295(9):1023-1032. doi:10.1001/jama.295.9.1023

vi Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Leading Change: A Plan for SAMHSA’s Roles and Actions 2011-2014. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4629. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2011.

vii Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces. (2010, August). Final report of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from http://www.health.mil/dhb/downloads/Suicide%20Prevention%20Task%20Force%20final%20report%208-23-10.pdf

viii . Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Leading Change: A Plan for SAMHSA’s Roles and Actions 2011-2014. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4629. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2011.