Running head: MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR SOLDIERS AND VETERANS 1

Mental Health Care for Soldiers and Veterans

Karina Sosa

University of Texas at El Paso

Abstract

Most soldiers who are deployed to war experience traumatic events at least once during

their deployment provoking post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. This report

discusses two major points in improving mental health care for active duty soldiers and veterans.

Stigma is a leading cause why soldiers and veterans do not seek help or reach out to mental

health services disregarding symptoms. Treatments should involve healthier options rather than

medication and hospitalization such as behavioral cognitive therapy. Highlighting the importance

of aid and support soldiers/veterans need to be cured from war inflicting disorders.
MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR SOLDIERS AND VETERANS 3

Introduction

Alan Peterson, a clinical psychologist treated a 22-year-old airman who was experiencing

symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder; Airman C replayed the traumatic scene of the young

Iraqi boy repeatedly in his mind. He could not shake the image of the boy, thinking about it day

and night in frequent nightmares. One-day Airman Cs convoy was driving down a busy city

street when a car bomb went off killing 10 Iraqi citizens and injuring three fellow soldiers. There

was a boy sitting at the edge of a street near a light pole when the bomb exploded. The explosion

tore off the right side of the boys jaw opening his neck and exposing his esophagus. Airman C

said the boy reached up to him as if asking for help and said American, American, American.

The convoy was in danger of a second attack and Airman C had to move on.

Events like the one Airman C experienced happen to most deployed soldiers causing

them to develop mental health disorders like post-traumatic stress, generalized anxiety, and

major depression. Post-traumatic stress disorder may occur after you experience a traumatic

event, symptoms may begin immediately after the event or may be delayed several months and

years. Symptoms include reliving the event, avoiding places or things that remind you of the

event, more negative thoughts and feelings, feeling numb, and your nerves being constantly

active. People with generalized anxiety disorder display excessive worry, nervousness, or unease

for months. Symptoms for generalized anxiety disorder include restlessness, feeling on edge,

fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, difficulty controlling worries, and

sleep problems. Major depressive disorder is characterized by a sad state and hopelessness with

loss of interest. Other symptoms include changes in appetite, weight, sleep, energy, feeling of

guilt, difficulty concentrating, and reoccurring thoughts of death. People who experience major

depression disorder describe it differently some say it is a total loss of energy and enthusiasm,
MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR SOLDIERS AND VETERANS 4

but others describe it as constantly living with a feeling of a terrible approaching downfall.

Symptoms of all three disorders cause distress and interfere with a persons day to day living like

their job, school, and relationships. To improve mental health care for soldiers and veterans

stigma should be eliminated and treatment options should include psychological therapy.

Stigma and Mental Health Services

People with mental disorders usually carry a stigma, a feeling of shame or disgrace

because a dishonorable act was committed. The Tampa Bay Times newspaper has an article that

addresses the removal of stigma in veterans so that they feel comfortable enough to reach out to

health services for help. Soldiers make great sacrifices for their country when they are deployed

to war; they must leave their family, possibly have physical injuries, and loss of life but not all

sacrifices are apparent. War inflicts invisible wounds, These injuries are not a sign of weakness

or a character flaw, but rather the potential catalyst of more serious illnesses such as traumatic

brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder (Bilirakis, 2013). Vice chairman of the Veterans'

Affairs Committee and co-chairman of the

Military Veterans Caucus, Gus Bilirakis

worked with colleagues to tear down the

stigma surrounding mental injuries to

make sure that soldiers get the help they

need. Together, we must create a culture

that encourages our service members to

seek treatment and take time to heal Figure 1. The political cartoon expresses that

added Bilirakis (2013). Veterans' care military mental health services are nonexistent.

must address both physical and mental

health needs but due to unjust laws, treatments for brain injuries often focus on physical

rehabilitation instead of the mental health portion. Bilirakis says he will continue to support

legislation to clarify veterans' care addressing both physical and mental health. He has also

participated in numerous committee hearings with the Veterans Affairs, where they focused on

how the Department of Defense and the Veterans Affairs can better address mental health care as

well as masking sure that all veterans have access to quality care in their communities.

Treatments

A psychologist named Hector Garcia speaks about his research findings on treatments for

veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). During Garcias talk at a TED conference

he argues that we train soldiers to fight in dangerous environments, but we do not train soldiers

to come back to civilian life. He found a way to eliminate PTSD by using training based

treatments, like the ones taught when training for war. One treatment is cognitive therapy to

recalibrate the brain mentally from a dangerous environment to a peaceful environment by

training individuals to adjust caution depending on what kind of setting they are in. The second

treatment is field training in which exercises like, being put in a public setting, are assigned to an

individual where they push through discomfort making anxiety levels decrease each time it is

repeated. Veterans relearn how to be in public places without experiencing PTSD symptoms.

Another way to eliminate PTSD from veterans is by listening to recordings of combat

experiences over and over until their memories do not generate anxiety. Practice and repetition

of training based treatments assure the elimination of PTSD.

The Clinic of Psychiatry and Combat Stress of the Military Institute of Medical Services

in Poland wrote about their research findings and treatment administered to a 30-year-old man

who served for the Polish Military Contingent in Iraq. While in Iraq the man had near to death
MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR SOLDIERS AND VETERANS 6

experiences, quickly after the first experience he developed PTSD symptoms. His symptoms

included trouble sleeping, vomiting, a nervous motoric twitch of his head, jaw and right

shoulder, memory and concentration deterioration he also became sensitive, quick tempered, and

aggressive. At the institute the man spent two different terms, four months each, the first term he

did not accept any treatment besides medication and psychotherapy. After his four-month term

he was discharged with a balanced mental condition but not long after he was readmitted for

reoccurring PTSD symptoms. This time around he was exposed to virtual reality therapy and

vivo. He had a total of 22 virtual reality session, two 30-45-minute sessions per week, where he

was connected to sensors measuring body temperature, breathing frequency, and skin

conductivity. He watched pictures from Iraq on a computer screen, was exposed to burning

vehicles and listened to sounds of Iraqi civilians, shouts of soldiers and civilians, gunre, and

ying helicopters. They also showed him data records of each of his sessions which provided

him with feedback to learn that he had the ability to control his symptoms. Then came the real

reality called vivo where he participated in three sessions of shooting training with live

ammunition. In the first session he observed real weapons, sounds during disassembly and

reassembly, reloading for shooting, the shot boom and the smell of burnt propellant. During the

second session he participated in all these activities except firing the weapon. Shooting was done

in the third session but he missed all 20 targets, he asked to go back a fourth time and he

successfully shot and hit all 20 targets. Tests ruled out any changes in the central nervous system,

results showed the patients general adjustment level growth over time, and conformed that his

mental health improvement was permanent.

Conclusion

Soldiers and veterans who have PTSD or other disorders should be able to feel

comfortable to reach out for help from mental health services, the first step being not only

reducing stigma but eliminating it completely. Mental health services should offer treatments

that do not include medication. Medication only helps symptoms temporarily but treatments like

virtual reality, repetition of military training and exposure to public places can eliminate PTSD

and other disorders for good. Its important for soldier and veterans to understand that there is

help provided and know their options for treatment.

References

Acosta, J., Becker, A., Cerully, J., Fisher, M., Martin, L., Vardavas, R., . . . Schell, T. (2014).

Defining Stigma in the Military Context. In Mental Health Stigma in the Military (pp. 7-

16). RAND Corporation. Retrieved from http://0-

www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/10.7249/j.ctt14bs47s.10

Bilirakis, Gus. (June 28, 2013 Friday). REMOVE A STIGMA SO MORE VETERANS GET

HELP. Tampa Bay Times, Retrieved from www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic

Garcia, H. (Performer). (2015 November). We train soldiers for war. Let's train them to come

home, too. Retrieved November 5, 2017, from

https://www.ted.com/talks/hector_garcia_we_train_soldiers_for_war_let_s_train_them_t

o_come_home_too

Heller, J. (2014, April 5). Military Mental Health Services [Cartoon]. Retrieved November 17,

2017, from http://www.wcmessenger.com/2014/opinion/editorial-cartoons/military-

mental-health-services/

Miller, G. (2006). Widening the Attack on Combat-Related Mental Health Problems. Science,

313(5789), 908-909. Retrieved from http://0www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/3846953

Tworus, R., Szymanska, S., & Ilnicki, S. (2010). A Soldier Suffering from PTSD, Treated by

Controlled Stress Exposition Using Virtual Reality and Behavioral Training.

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