Improving Access to Behavioral Health Care for Remote Service Members and Their Families.

摘要

The invisible wounds of war posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, traumatic brain injury, and drug and alcohol problems are prevalent among today s warriors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.1 Deployed service members families are bearing the effects of the conflicts, too. Their children, for example, have demonstrated higher rates of anxiety and more emotional difficulties and problems at school than other children of the same age.2 And family caretakers of young post-9/11 veterans more than 1 million to date experience family tension and problems at work at a greater rate than their nonmilitary caretaking peers.3 The Department of Defense (DoD) recognizes behavioral health needs for service members and families. In response to these needs, DoD sponsors or funds more than 200 behavioral health related programs.4 However, anecdotal reports circulating in news and other media outlets have suggested that many returning service members and their families live in rural areas that are too remote to enable the regular or easy access of needed behavioral health care assistance.5