PTSD truth causes fast changes

VA adds $2 million for PTSD center

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Friday May 2, 2008 14:22:34 EDT

After a series of congressional hearings showed that gaps remain in mental health care for veterans, the Veterans Affairs Department announced Friday it is allocating an additional $2 million to the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

A recent Rand Corp. study found that more than 300,000 combat veterans suffer from PTSD or major depression — a number that mirrors the Defense Department’s own studies.

But Rand found that only 50 percent of them receive care — and of those, only half received “minimally adequate” care — or care proven to be effective in treating PTSD.

The Defense Department, as well as Rand, have also found that significant issues remain in combating stigma surrounding PTSD. Many troops still think that their leaders will find them weak if they seek care, that a mental health issue could ruin their careers, that they’ll be prescribed anti-depressants with harmful side effects or that they’ll be denied security clearances.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/military_ptsd_funding_050208w/

Bill would open Vet Centers to active troops

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday May 2, 2008 13:17:01 EDT

Active and reserve service members would be eligible for mental health counseling from one of the 207 veterans’ centers operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs under bipartisan legislation introduced Thursday.

The bill also includes incentives for veterans to become mental health specialists so they could serve as counselors.

The bill would extend military survivor benefits in cases of suicide among service members with a history of service-connected mental health problems, an unprecedented policy change that would extend active-duty survivor benefits beyond the end of service for those who are not receiving retired pay.

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., joined by six other senators including Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, said he is looking for a quick way to increase access to qualified behavioral health specialists who can provide both immediate treatment and, if needed, long-term care.

Vet Centers, which provide readjustment and mental health counseling for people no longer in the military, are not typically available for use by people on active duty, nor to their families. National Guard and reserve members may use Vet Centers after being demobilized but sometimes have problems with eligibility because they do not have the same discharge papers provided to people separated from active duty.

The bill introduced Thursday, S 2963, “will give our troops the same access to Vet Centers our veterans receive,” Bond said in a statement.

This “not only opens the door to additional resources but also lightens the load on our currently over-tasked specialists,” Bond said. “There are grossly insufficient numbers of military behavioral health specialists to provide the care our troops need.”
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/military_vetcenters_050208w/