Canine Assisted Therapy For Veterans Essay

Hundreds of thousands of United States veterans are not able to leave the horrors of war on the battlefield (“Forever at War: Veterans Everyday Battles with PTSD” 1). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the reason why these courageous military service members cannot live a normal life when they are discharged. One out of every five military service members on combat tours—about 300,000 so far—return home with symptoms of PTSD or major depression. According to the Rand Study, almost half of these cases go untreated because of the disgrace that the military and civil society attach to mental disorders (McGirk 1). The general population of the world has to admit that they have had a nightmare before. Imagine not being able to sleep one

Over the last decade, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have drastically increased the need for effective mental health services and treatment for U.S. veterans and service members, especially those suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Nearly 1.5 million American service members have been deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) since the attack on the Twin Towers in September 2001 (Price, Gros, Strachan, Ruggiero, & Acierno, 2013). Approximately 25% of soldiers and wounded warriors returning home from OEF/OIF present with mental illness due to combat-related violence and other trauma exposure (Steinberg & Eisner, 2015). According to Price and colleagues (2013), OEF/OIF soldiers and veterans are at greater risk for developing mental illness compared to others who served in past military operations.

Combat veterans are among the highest at risk for issues in transitioning form military life to civilian. Many potentially suffer from both physical and/or mental traumas. Many veterans and even active duty services members have allowed the unofficial culture of if you need mental or medical help you are weak. Many military families are also afraid of utilizing family support mechanisms out of fear of

There is concern about military service members receiving stigma about getting or needing treatment in the area of mental health. Stigma occurs when individuals view others negatively because they have been labeled or identified as having a deviant behavior against societal norms; deviant behaviors such as mental illnesses or diagnoses uncommon or harmful to others. How does that impact the military? Military men and women alike are termed heroes, warriors, and survivors; this is quite the reputation to keep up. Military members go to war or deploy to hostile combat environments, which many come back with severe mental illnesses and diagnosis that need immediate care. At this point they may not feel like a hero. The terms psychological, mentally ill, PTSD, and behavioral health has gained a reputation as having or being a problem. Being labeled a problem is not what service members want. Many studies are trying to pinpoint the problem and resolve the stereotypes associated with getting treatment. Consequently, an individual’s attitude toward mental health treatment is thought to be affected by other people’s views on mental health care (Held & Owens, 2012).

Today, hundreds of thousands of service men and women and recent military veterans have seen combat. Many have been shot at, seen their buddies killed, or witnessed death up close. These are types of events that can lead to Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder ("Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD: A Growing Epidemic. “) Anyone that has gone through a traumatic event can be diagnosed with PTSD but research shows, military men and women are more susceptible to having PTSD (PTSD: A Growing Epidemic.) And, with little help from the US, many Veterans do not get the help they need or get treated for PTSD. Military men and women begin to

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, (2015) veterans comprise 22.2% of all suicides. The suicide data reports of 2012 estimated 22 veterans commit suicide everyday (Kemp & Bossate, 2012). Evidence-based studies show one of the major reasons behind the large number of veteran suicides may be related to undiagnosed mental disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Department of Veteran Affairs reports, “8 percent of the five million veterans using VA care have been diagnosed with PTSD” (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2014). This gap in mental health treatment among veterans negatively affects our nation as a whole. It is our duty to implement policies that provide a better quality and quantity of mental health services for the soldiers that

Veterans. All of those that have previously served our country in the United states military. Sadly much to often, these veterans come back from their tours physically and mentally damaged. Along with broken and or missing limbs, they are often diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD. I found the fascination for this illness and veterans while watching a new show on t.v. with my family. It’s called Dogs of War. This show is about a program called “Paws and Stripes” that connects veterans that are harshly affected on a daily basis to service dogs. I know that the concept of veterans and service dogs isnt a new concept, but what is different about this program is that they get the dogs from an animal shelter, then

According to (Fischner, et al., 2016), military beliefs of self-reliance, stoicism, and manliness were reasons why veterans did not seek treatment. With the above-mentioned beliefs, the military norms played a role that prevented a least one individual from this study to seek mental health treatment. The gentlemen, who came from an infantry background, stated that mental health was a taboo subject and that seeking treatment was a sign of failure. Another veteran stated that he was embarrassed to seek mental health treatment and this veteran was afraid others would find that he was indeed seeking mental health treatment but if privacy was promised and maintained he was fine with seeking treatment (Fischner, et al., 2016). This is an indication that providers need to ensure that veterans understand HIPPA and confidentiality laws when they do seek treatment so that these fears are eased. Another belief that this study identified showed is that military beliefs emphasized the need to not show any weakness and to facilitate independence (Fischner, et al., 2016). According to (McCaslin, Leach, Herbst, & Armstrong, 2013), military beliefs have origins in service, respect, honor, and order as well as comradeship amongst military members. The loss of a veteran’s social network in a combination of having to locate housing, healthcare, and source of income can cause an insurmountable hardship for the returning veteran (McCaslin, Leach, Herbst, & Armstrong,

In the wake of the wars, our military’s men and women have experienced things that most people cannot dare to dream of. Although some of them are able to transition into the civilian life, many are left with scars that are mentally and physically traumatic. Rick Yount established Warrior Canine Connection in order to help veterans and their families find a service dog to successfully guide and aid veterans to become stronger and to function better. Service dogs have been around for many years helping veterans get back on their feet and helping them with their disabilities. Post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury affect hundreds of veterans each day. Those who suffer from amputated limbs must rely on others and mechanical devices to function.

The United States has the most inclusive program with roots that can be traced back to 1636, that assist all veterans of all nations throughout the world. This program is known as the Department of Veterans Affair and is a federal cabinet-level agency that delivers healthcare services to qualified military veterans at VA medical centers and outpatient clinics throughout the country (Rose, Bisson, Churchill, & Wessely, 2002). This type of service and assistance can be crucial to veterans suffering not only from physical disorders, but also from mental disorders brought on by the traumatic events experienced through active duty. Mental health disorders in veterans can be more difficult to diagnose and treat than physical disorders, because their

“There are currently over 400,000 Veterans in treatment for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and it is estimated that with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars there is an additional 33% increase in our returning soldiers.” Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has become a severe issue for veterans returning from overseas. One of the most effective, yet unused resources given to veterans to help them cope with their disorder is specially trained dogs. These dogs help veterans with everyday life and keep them company, giving them a sense of tranquility and security. However, these dogs are extremely expensive, making it hard for veterans to obtain them. My research proposal will investigate several grey areas of these dogs. Are these dogs really the most effective way to treat PTSD? Why are these dogs not utilized as much as if they are proven to work the best? My project will also touch on if there is a less expensive way to train the dogs. This project will prove that dogs really are the best way to treat this disorder, find an answer as to why these dogs are not utilized more, and try to find a cheaper way to train these dogs.

Many individuals tend to experience a traumatic event that will change their entire lives short-term or long-term wise. Exposure to traumatic events are more common in military veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. By becoming exposed to the harsh conditions of a war-zone, such as violence or bloodshed, military veterans evoke a psychological response known as the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The common symptoms of PTSD tend to be aggressiveness, disturbances in sleep, and or paranoia. PTSD has the ability to severely damage the emotional and mental well-being of an individual. Not only that, but it also affects the way how one behaves around others. At times, PTSD and its severity goes unnoticed. This is a major reason as to why this topic will be explored in this paper. It is to bring awareness and urge the importance to go through treatments to cure

I think it was a great idea. It has helped me and my dog Charisma. After Charisma recovered she was not acting normal. After I brought her to your dog therapy she changed. Now she is normal and healthy again. This is also helping others, not just me. That is why I think your dog therapy was the best idea you’ve ever came up with! Thank you.

This article appeared in a scientifically reviewed, Psychology Central News, in 2010, making this a relatively credible source. Also this article is a fairly recent one, from 2010 and it relates to what the topic is about. Rick Nauert has a Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin in information science focused on health care informatics, health administration, health education and health policy and also has over 30 years of experience in clinical, administrative and academic healthcare. I included this article because it addresses how much psychiatric service dogs help military veterans with their PTSD symptoms and help cut down on their medications. In fact, “according to the Army Surgeon General’s special assistant for mental health,

Many challenges still remain as Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seek available access to mental health care. These challenges include the resistance and stigma to seek care, lack of