Mental Health and America's Military and Veterans

Reports and Resources

• The VA's National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) created free apps,  including an app called PTSD Coach, "designed for veterans and military service members who have -- or might have -- post-traumatic stress disorder. Check out this & other health care apps.
• The VA has many suicide prevention resources, such as the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The hotline also operates an online Veterans Chat program, which provides Veterans, their families and friends with the ability to communicate anonymously online in real-time with a trained VA mental health professional.  Veterans Chat can be accessed through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's web page at http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/Veterans/Default.aspx. (March 15, 2011)
   
• SAMHSA's Veterans Resource Guide
   
• AHA News Now stories on JoiningForcesOnline.org
  HealthPartners Institute for Medical Education and the AHA have partnered with more than a dozen national organizations to educate medical professionals about the common health challenges facing returning U.S. troops.
  • Chaplains, others join effort to improve care for returning troops  (11/12/08)
  • AHA and others are joining forces to improve care for our returning troops  (11/10/08)
  • More groups signing on to ‘Joining Forces’   (11/10/08)
  • Public health group joins effort to improve care for returning troops  (11/10/08)
  • Optometrists, others join effort to improve care for returning troops  (11/04/08)
  • AHA, others join forces to improve care for returning troops  (10/29/08)  
     
• Joining Forces Online: Partner Toolkit
   
• SAMHSA News Article: Veterans & Their Families: A SAMHSA Priority  (January/February 2008, Vol. 16, No. 1)
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
  • Resources
  • Statistics: Short Report
  • Administrator's Message: Enhancing Services for Returning Veterans  
     
• Serious Psychological Distress and Substance Use Disorder among Veterans (November 2007)
  A NSDUH Report based on combined National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data from 2004, 2005, and 2006.
   
• Youth Coping with Military Deployment - A Multi-Media Deployment Toolkit
  U.S. Army Medical Department Center & School Portal
   
• An Achievable Vision: Report of the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health  (June 2007)
   
• The Psychological Needs of U.S. Military Service Members and Their Families:
  A Preliminary Report
  American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Military Deployment Services for Youth, Families and Service Members (February 2007)
   
• Helping Veterans Return: Community, Family, and Job  (06/20/06)
  A White Paper prepared by the Constella Group
   
• Spending for Mental Health Strategic Plan Initiatives Was Substantially Less Than Planned
  GAO's Report to Congressional Requesters (November 2006)
   
• "Transforming Mental Health Care in America; The Federal Action Agenda: First Steps" is the result of work by six cabinet-level departments - Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration - The report details 70 specific steps in a mental health action agenda. (07/22/05)  
   

Click here for more helpful links to resources for the military and veterans