Issue Brief

Veterans' Mental Health

Long and extended tours in horrific combat situations have created a need for robustmental health care services for our veterans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has reported that of the nearly 300,000 Iraq/Afghanistan veterans who have sought VA health care since 2002, 120,000 have received a diagnosis of a possible mental health disorder. Another 60,000 have been given a probable diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Veterans who experience PTSD re-live traumatic events from the battlefield. It is one of the most common mental health challenges facing this new generation of veterans.
In more acute cases, PTSD can be completely debilitating, restricting a veteran from conducting routine activities and resulting in physical or emotional abuse of those around them.

While the VA has made strides in treating PTSD in recent years, the amount of funding and the total care has not matched the rising level of cases of PTSD and other mental health disorders.
The most recent VA-conducted evaluation found systemic problems in access, scope and quality of its behavioral health programs, according to the Mental Health Strategic Plan, the VA’s own road map for the future of veterans’ mental health care.
There is a “striking lack of studies” that focus on PTSD in the veteran population. (Institute of Medicine, 2007)

There is strong evidence that PTSD can be treated successfully with cognitive behavior therapies. The VA should follow the recommendation of the IOM and provide further federal investment in PTSD treatment research, including research on improved screening tools and stigma reduction methodology.
The VA and DOD should track and publicly report performance measures relevant to their mental health programs.
Congress should continue to oversee the implementation of the National Mental Health Strategic Plan. Frequent reports should be shared with congressional staff and consumer council of the VA’s advisory committee on Veterans with Serious Mental illness.