The Issue Of Providing Mental Health Services For Veterans Essay

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).

I believe that it is the best interest of veterans, whom have served the military in any capacity to be afforded not just medication, but also some form of counseling. Being a veteran myself I have experienced: over medicating by the government, not receiving any form of counseling, and when I was given an appointment it was six months from the day that it was scheduled.

As awareness grows relating to the mental health problems of those who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), much of the focus has been on providing adequate and effective care to the newest population of combat veterans. Although efforts have significantly increased with the employment of Evidence Based Practices (EBP) and while the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA), have updated their clinical practice guidelines, barriers remain and reaching the majority of this particular population remains a challenge.

Countless medically discharged or retired veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom are entering the nation’s healthcare systems in large numbers attempting to seek medical or mental health care. Those that enter find a growing lack of concern for the inadequacy of the administrative system required to process their claims or support their growing addictions to medications prescribed by physicians unprepared for the level of damage sustained in combat. The Veterans Administration is consistently backlogged on both sides of their service departments. The disability and claims division provides a determination of whether a veteran has a service-connected injury and thus entitled to VA health benefits. The VA health care system is overworked and understaffed to provide care to a growing and aging population of veterans.

government provides veterans with health care services and benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (abbreviated VA). These vary person to person depending on need, injuries, rank, and familial situation, among other factors. In doing this, the goal is to help veterans deal with trauma and altogether manage their lives (Wallechinsky). Politically, this has been discussed and altered depending on parties in office, and hence has gone through many iterations in terms of budget, range, and public support. At the point it has reached today, the government aims to give veterans support in terms of health, education, and finances, although the policies are not always enforced consistently. Factors such as poor hospital regulations and misdiagnosis plague VA facilities, leading to thousands of dollars being denied to the retired due to unreported ailments (Wallechinsky). These health issues can be caused by traumatic events such as 9/11, which are a large cause for mental health trouble, and combat injuries. In a study of 1.853 veterans, emotional and physical trauma were the two leading factors of difficulty readjusting to civilian life (Morin). Because of the realities of war and its results, these two aspects are unavoidable, leaving the U.S. to take care of veterans to the furthest extent

A gap in access to mental health benefits dates back to the Vietnam War when tens of thousands of military personnel developed symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after their first tour of duty. According to the Mayo Clinic, “PTSD is a mental health disorder triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event(s).” (Mayo, 2017) In an effort to cope with these symptoms, people would engage in behaviors such as substance abuse, which resulted in a discharge of other than honorable (OTH). In order for a veteran to receive benefits from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA), they must have been released or honorably

When examining how specifically the system has been failing over the years, one simply only has to note the number of veterans actually receiving care. For example, several records show that many veterans were being subjected to waits exceeding the thirty day maximum described by the VA policy (Williams). These long waits would mean the difference between recovery and agony and even life and death for some cases. The problem with these extended wait times has actually become so bad that in May of 2011, a federal appeals court ruled that the VA had actually violated the rights of veterans by subjecting them to long waits when dealing with mental disorders (“Preface”). Other occurrences showed that the program’s handling of the mental impacts of war were often insufficient and not preemptive or proactive enough. For instance, the VA has had a tumultuous history of dealing with mental disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with veterans throughout the years. One commonly noted instance was the 2013 report indicating that only 53 percent of veterans with a primary diagnosis of PTSD received the minimum care plan (Associated Press). Even as these illnesses have been more closely studied, many veterans continue to experience improper forms of

There are several limitations within this research which will consist of having such a limited sampling size available to collect data. This may cause the findings associated with this research not to be valid for all VHA facilities nationwide. Amongst other limitations is the level of sensitivity related to mental health appointments. Many veterans may be reluctant to disclose their opinions associated with the lack of access to scheduling mental health appointments in fear that they will be characterized differently. However, the researcher will take every step possible to eliminate any unorthodox reflections related to this research and ensure reliability and validity of gathered

The impact of the lack of access to care when it comes to veterans starts off by Murray (2012) stating, “It is estimated that as many as 20% of service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have screened positive for PTSD or other behavioral health symptoms such as depression and anxiety (GAO, 2008a; Gham & Lucenko, 2007)” (p. 178). Even with their policies that Murray (2012) mentions, when healthcare providers evaluate the medical records to find a condition when screening they were found inconsistent (p. 278). Essentially saying, that with these findings through the screenings they are unreliable. Even another statement mentioned by Committee on the Assessment of the Readjustment Needs of Military Personnel (2013), “One finding was that veterans living more than 25 miles from a VA facility were less likely to receive the recommended PTSD treatment compared to veterans living within 25 miles of their treatment” (p. 13). “TBI is one of the most frequently reported injuries among service members in Iraq and Afghanistan abs may account for as much as 20% to 30% of battlefield related injuries (GAO, 2008a)”

Changing the physical aspects of the wounded veteran’s life is what “Wounded Warrior” does, but the mental health follows. When

This is a major aspect of veterans mental care that must be treated; the psychological problems at hand. Many soldiers turn to suicide to escape the madness. One man named Schulze cried out for help, but help never came. “He tried to hold a job but he couldn’t. Schulze was suffering flashbacks and panic attacks so intense that he couldn't concentrate on his work. Sometimes, he heard in his mind the haunting chants of the muezzin--the Muslim call to prayer that he'd heard many times in Iraq” (Ephron and Childress 127). This is only one sad story, of many who couldn’t hold on to life. The baffling suicide statistic f 1,000 a month, among 5.6 million veterans that the V.A. treats, as a sign that mental health in soldiers needs more attention and care (Macfarquhar 1). They found that roughly one-quarter of all soldiers had one or more mental health disorders. Not just PTSD but also depression, anxiety, substance abuse. That's twice the rate of people their age in the general population (“New Shooting” 1). One veteran explains his suicidal experiences after war when talking to his mother on the phone, “And I would call her, you know, after I'd drinkin so much. And it's late at night, and I'd tell her, Mom, like, I need help. Every day, I wish I was dead” (“Missed Treatment” 2). The VA should be held responsible for not giving veterans the proper mental health care. If soldier’s can’t go home to a normal life after war, they shouldn’t be going to war in the first place. Not only should the VA take more time in treating our veterans mentalities, the department needs to become more organized and prepared for the task at

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

Access to quality care can mean everything to healthy living for individuals in a community. Veterans living in rural areas are no exception and in particular make up an extraordinary demographic that often have specialized mental and health care needs due to various war traumas. (Rural Health, 2016) states that “there are 22 million Veterans nationwide, with 5.3 million who live in rural communities.” (Rural Health, 2016) continues that “fifty-seven percent of these rural Veterans are enrolled in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system.” (Rural Health, 2016) also asserts that “between fiscal years 2006-2014, there was a seven percent increase in VA-enrolled rural Veterans.” It is important to

Many military service members do not want to be labeled as mentally ill, and result as a persistent stigma within the military. Serving in the military have certain pride there, in other words, soldiers should be able to do their duty without having those issues. Multiple deployments have resulted and led to significant emotional, behavioral, social and psychological problems to soldiers. A research study found that soldiers in the military with a deployed parent showed a 19 percent increase in behavioral disorders. Although treatment can take a long time, which may explain the high dropout rate, approximately about two thirds of soldiers with symptoms of PTSD and major depression did not seek help or care between 2002 and 2011. A research

The issues related to the mental health have become a part of our everyday life. A key role in this process was played by the media (Barker, Vossler and Langdridge, 2010). In contemporary, they still influence common views on the mental health. This essay will summarise and discuss the presentations of mental health in two newspaper articles. Firstly, summarising their content. Secondly, critically discussing it. Then, discussing their advantages. And finally, discussing them in the historical context.