It’s sometimes depressing to be a nascent mental health professional these days; federal research funding is decreasing, and on the treatment side, insurance providers increasingly favor something called “brief therapy,” several sessions of cognitive-behavioral treatment to cure ills. In the military and Veterans Administration, however, decreased mental health services have terrible consequences.

I cross-posted the issue on BlogHer.org.

PTSD: soldiers not getting what they need

Here is the story of Jonathan Schulze, a Marine who killed himself upon return from Iraq.

On January 11, 2007, accompanied by his parents, he went to the VA hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota and told people at that VA facility that he was thinking of killing himself. They told Schulze that they could not admit him as a patient and sent him on his way.The next day, January 12, Schulze called the VA, reiterating that he was feeling suicidal. He was told that he was number 26 on the waiting list.

A man who had risked his life in Iraq and done everything that was asked of him by the United States government, was told by that same government that his sacrifice would be repaid by being 26th on a list of Veterans similarly crying out for help.

Today, Bob Geiger wrote of this young Marine who, upon returning from Iraq suffered terrible Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Shunted by mental health services at the VA, he killed himself after repeatedly asking for help. Like many social services, mental health care is an increasingly scarce resource in the US. For our armed forces, this has terrible consequences.

Kim Ponders wrote a few days ago about how Iraq war veterans with symptoms of PTSD can benefit from yoga. Kim mentions that such benefits are provided by privately funded organizations.

Why doesn’t the national Veteran’s Administration encourage yoga and other holistic solutions to the complex and often disastrous effects of PTSD? While they recommend classic psychotherapy like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), there seems to be little incentive for vets to try alternative approaches (though, interestingly, the VA does recommend yoga for people suffering from hepatitis c).

The VA talks about the benefits of psychotherapy for returning soldiers, but it is mere rhetoric? Several journalists have covered the Government’s inadequate provision of mental health services and healing techniques for veterans returning from Iraq, even though the Army itself estimates 20-25% of Iraq War veterans display signs of serious mental health problems. If you’re interested in this topic, NPR’s Daniel Zwerdling covered the story in December, and it’s jarring, important reading. Click here for the archive. Click here for stories from listeners- also compelling.

Is the lack of adequate publicly-funded psychologic and psychiatric care for veterans economically driven? Is it because we continue to stigmatize those who suffer from depression, PTSD, and other disorders? Is it part of the larger systemic cuts in mental health services from private and public insurers alike?