Contemporary Problems
As American’s, we owe our freedom to the men and women who protect us through their military service, especially those who have been deployed and risked their lives so that we can maintain the privileges afforded to us simply by living in America. Unfortunately, our country has not taken enough measures to protect and restore the mental health of the veterans who have protected us. According to Jaycox eds. and Tanielian (2008) “About One-Third of Returning Service members Report Symptoms of a Mental Health or Cognitive Condition” and approximately 19.5% of our returning veterans have experienced a probable traumatic brain injury (TBI) (p. 492). While the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Veterans Association (VA) have taken steps to meet the needs of these returning veterans, there is still much room for improvement when it comes to providing these hero’s with the mental health and neurological care that they require for a healthy life.
PTSD and TBI share many symptoms, sometimes making it difficult for professionals to distinguish the cause of the symptoms, therefore, the mental health and TBI issues are often addressed together. One of the issues that our servicemen face with receiving proper treatment is that PSTD can sometimes take a year or more to surface after returning home. (National Council on Disability , 2009). The Department of Defense has designated and deployed a Mental health taskforce to research and address the needs and concerns of our military member’s psychological well being and as of 2007, determined that “Insufficient attention has been paid to the vital task of prevention.” (Jaycox eds. & Tanielian, 2008). With unsatisfactory preventative care, it becomes imperative that the gaps in the receipt of care upon returning from combat are addressed.
A survey by RAND organization shows that as of 2008, there is a