Furloughs due to sequester threaten military's mental health ranks

[HereSince1628]

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/03/14/furloughs-threaten-militarys-mental-health-ranks.html?comp=700001075741&rank=2

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“I do have concerns over the long-term capability to provide mental health care to the force” to counter the effects of PTSD, said Dr. Jonathan Woodson, the assistant secretary of defense for Health Affairs.

More than half of the mental health specialists serving the military are civilians, and “they have options to seek employment elsewhere. I worry about sustaining the workforce,” Woodson said at a hearing held by the House Military Personnel Subcommittee.

<snip>

Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, the Army’s surgeon general, has lobbied to exempt the mental health specialists from furloughs to retain them for treating PTSD. The Pentagon has said that 20 percent of the civilian workforce will be exempt from furloughs. However, it did not look like the mental health specialists would receive that exemption, said Col. Rebecca Porter, the chief of Behavioral Health in Horoho’s office.

<snip>

Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs reported that nearly 30 percent of more than 834,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans treated at VA hospitals and clinics have been diagnosed with PTSD.

[Tobin S.]

1. That last line is particularly troubling.

I bet a lot of those guys will end up in jail or homeless.

[HereSince1628]

2. Nearly a third is frightening.

At least mental trauma is recognized now. IIRC the Sandlandistan vets all have VA mental health benefits for several years after they return. Technically, PTSD is supposed to emerge within weeks or months of the traumatic exposure, so 'technically' they should have access to help.

Of course, men generally are reluctant to seek help for mental illness, and vets are no different. Several studies have shown that significant numbers of OIF/OEF vets have skepticism about PTSD and the value of treatment.

Reintegrating into society they are subject to a lot of speculation and stigma. Much of the public is overly scared about vets 'going postal.' But vets sense that stigma and so don't want to expose themselves to discrimination by employers and/or insurers.

I suspect that VA mental health staff are going to learn a lot about variations of trauma related mental illness.