Gap in Mental Health Care for Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan
Los Angeles – May 7, 2008 – More than half of the estimated 300,000 military service
members who are suffering from depression, post-traumatic stress disorders, and
traumatic brain injury are going without treatment because of the gaps in mental health
care and stigma issues, according to RAND Corporation’s 500-page independent study
on the prevalence of psychological injuries.
“The gap widens every day when you consider the barriers to access, including the red
tape, long waiting lists, proximity of VA facilities to client’s homes, and the escalating
need due to continued high intensity combat, longer term and multiple deployments, and
the lack of therapists trained in treating combat trauma,” says Dr. Judith Broder, director
of The Soldiers Project, a volunteer group of licensed mental health professionals
offering free and confidential counseling to service members of Iraq/Afghanistan
conflicts and their families. “We narrow the gap by breaking down the hurdles to care.
Appointments are made within 24 to 48 hours of a call and with a therapist who lives
close to the client’s home. There is no paperwork or reporting (within the law) and
services are confidential, so clients feel fewer stigmas about seeking and receiving
therapy. Our counselors are trained in combat trauma and have a peer support network.
Services are offered for free and for as long as our clients need therapy.”
The RAND report appropriately cites The Soldiers Project as a private response to
addressing the surge of need for psychosocial services. “We are an additional resource of
over 100 licensed psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family
therapists in Southern California who feel a moral obligation as mental health
professionals to help our service men and women readjust to civilian life and rebuild their
relationships.” The Soldiers Project has spawned similar groups in New York, Chicago
and Seattle. With the determination to close the growing gap for mental health care
across the United States, The Soldiers Project is organizing a training conference,
Hidden Wounds of War: Pathways to Healing in Los Angeles on May 16 to 18, 2008,
with the aim of encouraging and training more mental health professionals to initiate
projects in their locales.
“As we mark yet another Memorial Day on May 26, we will honor those who have died
in service, but the national debate should focus on how America is caring for the
hundreds of thousands of service personnel who have returned home or will be returning
home suffering from psychological war trauma, along with their loved ones who are also
impacted,” states Dr. Broder. Therapists help clients deal with depression, PTSD,
addictive behaviors, suicidal tendencies, and homelessness. They focus on repairing
relationships, mending marriages, and parenting better, so that we can lessen the negative
consequences and costs on the next generations.”
“We need to let active-duty soldiers and veterans who fall through the bureaucratic
cracks, and their families know they can access our free and confidential services. Early
treatment will help save lives and restore the hope and dignity of these people,”
concludes Dr. Broder.
