Veterans face three primary problems as they attempt to access care (including care for mental health conditions):ġ. Studies indicate that 56% to 87% of service members experiencing psychological distress after deployment report that they did not receive psychological help. Nearly 50% of combat veterans from Iraq report that they have suffered from PTSD, and close to 40% of these same veterans report “problem alcohol use” in addition, according to estimates from 2010, approximately 22 veterans died as a result of suicide each day in that calendar year. Veterans have disproportionate rates of mental illness, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse disorders, depression, anxiety, and military sexual trauma. Although lack of education and limited transferable skills from military to civilian life are significant causes of these problems, physical and mental health problems (and lack of care for those problems) are also factors. Conversely, while veterans represent one in 10 adult civilians, they account for one in four homeless people. Veterans are twice as likely as other Americans to become chronically homeless.

More than a half million veterans in the United States are homeless at some time, and on any given night more than 300,000 are living on the streets or in shelters. Between December 2008 and December 2011, the deployment time for the average soldier increased by 28%.įor a variety of reasons, however, including mental health challenges, veterans are at risk of family instability, elevated rates of homelessness, and joblessness. The Army has now provided more than 1.5 million troop-years to these wars, while the Navy, Air Force, and Marines have collectively contributed another million troop-years. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been the longest sustained US military operations since the Vietnam era, sending more than 2.2 million troops into battle and resulting in more than 6,600 deaths and 48,000 injuries. Problem Statement and Evidence-Based Strategies In addition, APHA Policy Statement 20095 (The Role of Public Health Practitioners, Academics, and Advocates in Relation to Armed Conflict and War) states that “ractitioners, educators, and other workers in public health can play powerful roles in…mitigating the public health consequences of war.” Expanding access to high-quality mental health services among veterans is consistent with this APHA policy. APHA Policy Statement 9701: For Nondiscriminatory Coverage of All Mental Health Treatment.APHA Policy Statement 9604: Accountability in the Provision of Health and Welfare Services to Persons with Mental Illness.APHA Policy Statement 7501: Mental health is an Essential Part of Comprehensive Health Care Programs.APHA Policy Statement 7524(PP): Suicide Prevention.No existing APHA policies specifically address mental health services for veterans.ĪPHA policies related to mental health for general populations include the following: Although APHA has issued a few policy statements on mental health, many are quite dated, and therefore APHA has called for new policy proposals to fill this gap. Relationship to Existing APHA Policy StatementsĪPHA policy resolutions support improved access to mental health care, particularly for vulnerable populations.

The United States Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs must take steps to improve access to mental health care for these veterans. Barriers to care after civilian reentry further disadvantage this already vulnerable population. Rates of trauma and mental illness are disproportionately high among American veterans, especially those of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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