January 26, 2011, 10:55 AM
Veterans, Like Active Duty Troops, Are Hesitant to Seek Mental Health Care
By JAMES DAO
In recent years, the military has been encouraging its active duty troops to acknowledge the emotional and psychological stress of deployment, hoping to break through the resistance some people have to seeking help.
A new study of recent veterans living in New York State suggests that some of the same resistance continues among men and women who have left the military.
The study, by the Rand Corporation, found that only about a third of the veterans who appeared to need mental health care – typically for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or substance abuse – had actually received it in the previous year.
Asked why, many said they feared that seeking treatment would lead colleagues or bosses to lose respect for them and would hurt their careers. Others raised concerns about the side effects of medications or the cost and effectiveness of therapy.
The survey also found that about 22 percent of the veterans surveyed had either post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, or both. That finding is similar to a 2008 study by Rand that used a national sample of service members.
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Veterans Are Hesitant to Seek Mental Health Care
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