HUFFINGTON
09.01-08.13
INVISIBLE CASUALTIES
In the military, we value strength,
mental toughness, elitism, and self-sufficiency,
but the culture of mental health is
deficiency-oriented and values emotional
vulnerability, which contradicts the core identity
of many service members and veterans.
py (CPT) for PTSD are three to four
times more likely to experience
full remission from PTSD. These
better outcomes occur regardless of the trauma, whether rape,
violent assault, or combat. Early
findings further suggest that PE
and CPT reduce suicidal ideation
among military personnel with
PTSD. And just within the past
month, preliminary data presented
at the American Psychological
Association’s annual convention
indicate that brief cognitive behavioral therapy (BCBT) for suicidal
military personnel contributes to
a 50 percent reduction in suicide
attempts and significant reductions
in PTSD symptoms as compared
to traditional mental health care
approaches. In short, some treat-
ments work better than others, and
are more effective at helping service members and veterans.
For many of us, the service
members and veterans who are
suffering from these psychological
injuries are family members and
friends. And some of them are dying from their injuries. Improved
access to mental health care without improved quality of care will
do little to prevent suicide among
service members and veterans. As
mental-health professionals we
must therefore commit ourselves
individually and collectively to
learning and using these better
treatments that we know can help
service members and veterans live
lives that are worth living.
It’s okay for us to change.
Craig J. Bryan is an associate director at
the National Center for Veterans Studies.
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