Barriers To Mental Health Services For Veterans Case Study

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that close to 50,000 veterans are homeless on any given night (2015).

Society does not accommodate the needs of Veterans in terms of housing and health services upon returning to civilian life. Vietnam veterans are infamously known for being homeless and having a host of mental health issues. Today’s veterans have more support systems but the success of those systems may vary from region to region. In the Puget Sound region there are many homeless veterans despite efforts made by communities and municipalities. Issues of access to health care and inadequate community support intersect to form an underserved group of citizens who served in the military.

This study is significant because it is the first national study of VA non-mental health medical service utilization in veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The findings are important because in the population studied the soldiers who were found to have mental health issues used all types of non-mental health services than those with no diagnosis. Veterans diagnosed with PTSD had the greatest utilization in all service categories. One million of the service men and women who have returned from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with the disorder. Prior research on this topic has revealed that returning war veterans are at a higher risk for developing mental disorders than any other group in the united states.

The factors that tie in with veteran’s homelessness have to do with the fact that a large number of them are affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is a mental health problem that is developed after experiencing a life-threatening event, such as combat, natural disaster, car accident, or sexual assault. Because of this, veterans are more likely to turn to substance abuse in order to escape from their PTSD. As well, the lack of family and support system takes a toll on them. On top of that, they have a hard time coming back to the workforce because the military jobs and training put them at a disadvantage when it comes to regular employment. However, as of recent statistics, the numbers of homeless veterans have actually been decreasing. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, “There was a 17 percent decline in the estimated number of homeless Veterans nationwide between January 2015 and January 2016.” There has always been some kind of push for the government to do more in helping veterans. Based on these numbers, it seems that they have finally made an effort to help out veterans and the results are looking

Between 2005 and 2010, service members took their own lives at a rate of approximately one every 36 hours (20% of suicides in the U.S.), [9] and statistics show that an estimate of 22 veterans a day are committing suicide. However, given the paucity of representative data, it seems impossible to accurately estimate suicide rates among veterans. [2][9]

For some time now, many have held the philosophy that the ever increasing deployment tempo and lengths of deployments have held significant value in the rising rate of suicides amongst our military and veterans. Combat trauma and other traumatic events experienced while deployed has also been on the hot seat as a predominate factor for being at risk. Whereas combat deployments can have a profound impact on the psychological and cognitive functioning of an individual, it is being seen that there is a significant percentage of individuals committing suicide that have never deployed. Stressors from military life in general are having a huge impact on the suicide rates of military members and veterans. Cerel, Van de Venne, Moore, Maple, Flaherty, & Brown (2015) found that “Stress on the entire military due to the length of these recent conflicts and the burden placed on all the forces has been linked to suicide risk among those who were never deployed. Other non-combat military- related events, such as exposure to death from training accidents, are expected incidents during military service but are also associated with PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders” (p. 83).

Post-traumatic stress disorder is not a new concept to the military. Identified in 1945 as “war neuroses” (Grinker & Spielgel, 1945) PTSD, as most psychologists refer to this disorder as, is a common occurs to military personnel stationed within the battle lines. This condition can include having nightmares, flashbacks, mood swings and much more. (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2015) The problem that most returning Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi freedom veterans are facing is

Following the events of September 11th, 2001, over 1.64 million United States Americans have been deployed in a war known as the Operation Enduring Freedom, the longest United States military operation since Vietnam (Hauser, Ferris, Gunten, & Roenn, 2012). For veterans and warriors returning from war, research indicates that the psychological toll of Operation Enduring Freedom has been unlike previous military operations. Not only has the number of veterans deployed on multiple tours of combat duty grown to its largest in American history, the number of cases connected to combat related stress in comparison to actual physical injuries have become disproportionately high (Carey, 2016; Norris & Slone, 2013). Over 20% of veterans who served in

A study by Possemato, K., Pratt, A., Barrie, K., & Ouimette, P (2015) that showed how PTSD affects returning veterans and the individuals in contact with them by using a method of a longitudinal study examining daily fluctuations in PTSD and alcohol use among OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom)/OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) combat veterans recruited from VA primary care Inclusion criteria consisted of combat during an OEF/OIF deployment, hazardous alcohol use and symptoms of combat-related PTSD, defined as functional impairment associated with at least one Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM–IV) reexperiencing symptom, plus three avoidance or two arousal symptoms measured by a clinical interview The sample (N 137) comprised both men (88%, n 120) and women (12%, n 17), with a mean age of 30 (SD 7.2). Most self-identified as White (81.8%, n 112) and reported having at least some college education (70%, n 96). About half of the participants were employed (53%, n 73), and the estimated average annual income was $41,642 (SD 26,507). More than half of participants indicated they were married or living with a significant other (59%, n 81). Half (n 69) of participants reported having at least one child.

From September 2001 to January 2015, 2.7 million American troops were deployed overseas to fight in America’s wars (Hautzinger et al, 2015). These men and women of many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds have been exposed to a plethora of war traumas that can lead to mental health problems. Most people will recover with time; However, others can go on to develop chronic PTSD, which can have long lasting mental impacts on our soldiers. According to a general health questionnaire, an estimated 21-29% of those soldiers experience PTSD (Sloat, 2014), this is significant because only 7% of the general population gets PTSD sometime in their life (Nebraska, 2007). This is significant because the discrepancy

Gulf War (Desert Storm): About 12 out of every 100 Gulf War Veterans (or 12%) have PTSD in a given year.

Mental health care is important for veterans and military; Per Niles (2018), “With nearly 155 hospitals serving nearly 8 million war veterans and current servicemen, the VA operates the largest healthcare system and is the largest single employer of psychologist in the country (p. 347).” National for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder was established in the year of 1989 for the VA to help veterans cope with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). About 107 million veterans that have come back home from Afghanistan and Iraq about 20% suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or suffering with major depression. Yes, veterans that come back from war should seek some type of medical attention or at least follow up with a health care physician so

Dating back to early history, military personnel have been experiencing combat conditions that are breeding grounds for mental health issues. Many men and women witness/encounter harsh events during deployment and those events impact the mental well-being of military veterans. Research has made positive correlations between the development of mental health problems and exposure to traumatic events while serving the country. Some disorders are more prevalent with this population then others, resulting in veterans being more susceptible to many forms of mental health diagnosis. Of all the possible mental health diagnosis that impact military personnel, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is very common and suggested as the most popular disorder

According to the census posted by the Office of Public Health, Veterans Health Administration, approximately 2.7 millions veterans served in Iraq or Afghanistan since the September 11, 2001 (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2015). Out of those service members, at least twenty percent are suffering from depression and or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the number is believed to be grossly underestimated (Institute of Medicine, 2014). Although there seem to be a tendency in the general

Research verifies that veterans currently make up a third of the homeless population. This number is expected to grow since men and women are coming home broken and scarred from serving