Veterans' Mental Health

Overview

Of the nearly 2.1 million veterans who have served, or are serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, nearly fifty percent will face serious mental health issues, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury or depression.

Research shows that many veterans avoid seeking help because of the stigma associated with treatment or fear of being diagnosed with a mental illness. Untreated mental health conditions can lead to other debilitating problems in the veteran community including high rates of unemployment, suicide, homelessness, substance abuse, divorce, and child abuse.

Less than 1% of the U.S. population has served in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, compounding other barriers to treatment with a sense of isolation felt by veterans upon returning home. By maintaining relationships and communicating regularly with others who have shared experiences, veterans are better able to reconnect with their friends, families and their communities.

To help ease the transition and readjustment challenges facing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as they return home, PSAs encourage them to join the online Community of Veterans (COV) at www.iava.org, a private social network where they can access critical resources and share experiences in a safe forum.

First launched on Veterans Day 2008, the campaign has already proven to be effective with over 174,425 total visits to COV, and thousands of member veterans engaging in the community daily. There are more than 300 groups in COV that range from Purple Heart recipients to PTSD Help to Veteran Video Gamers. These groups have formed the backbone of a critical support network for new veterans.

The challenges returning veterans face are broad and multi-faceted and will not be solved overnight. The campaign's long-term objective is to decrease the depression and PTSD-related outcomes among returning veterans and encourage them to take that first step in getting help.