For some, the war never ended. Many war veterans do not really leave the battlefield because of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As a matter of fact, about half a million Iraq and Afghanistan American war veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD.

1. Post-Combat Mental Health:
Modern Treatment for Veterans
with PTSD
Senior Helpers

2. For some, the war never ended.
Many war veterans do not really leave the battlefield because of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
As a matter of fact, about half a million Iraq and Afghanistan American war veterans have been
diagnosed with PTSD.
Studies show that PTSD leads to many detrimental mental health effects like major depressive disorder,
anxiety, and substance abuse.
As a step toward servicing the mental health of veterans, in 2012, former President Barack Obama
signed Executive Order 13625, which requires government departments like the VA to meet the mental
health demand and provide treatment for veterans, service members, and their families.
How Veterans with PTSD are Being Treated Today
Before treatment, veterans are diagnosed through the Clinician-Administered Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-
5). CAPS-5 is a 30-item interview with the patient with PTSD. It takes about 30 to 60 minutes to
administer the interview. Alternatively, the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD is conducted.
Veterans measure how they feel about each item in the 35-item questionnaire with a five-point Likert
scale.

3. Afterward, psychological interventions are employed. Reports found that the most effective
psychotherapies to reduce symptoms of PTSD is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). In a CBT session,
the patient collaborates with the therapist in a problem-solving process to validate maladaptive
cognitions and behavioral patterns.
Some therapists also do the eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment. During
the EMDR treatment, the therapist guides patients to make eye movements while the latter recounts
traumatic events. The EMDR treatment allows the patient to focus on other stimuli while relating the
traumatic events until the information proves to be no longer psychologically disruptive to the veteran.
What Bars Veterans From Getting the Right Treatment
Veterans need to have either an honorable or general discharge before accessing the medical benefits
that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides. However, despite the high rate of PTSD among
war veterans, many of them do not get the appropriate treatment. In fact, less than half of veterans
needing mental health services do not receive any treatment.
Some of the things that hinder veterans from getting PTSD treatment are the long waiting list at VA
medical centers and the social stigma associated with mental illness.
War veterans went to the battlefield in the name of service to the nation. In turn, the nation should
take care of them before, during, and after their service.

4. Sources:
https://www.seniorhelpers.com/havertown
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5047000/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK224871/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3584580/