This document provides an overview of information related to understanding military culture and common mental health issues among veterans. It discusses the departments and branches of the US military, as well as military ranks, hierarchy, language, and general observations about military culture. Common mental health treatment issues among veterans that are covered include traumatic brain injury, PTSD, depression, suicide, substance abuse, and family issues. The document also provides information on the VA healthcare system and connecting veterans to community care providers.

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To be introduced to:
1. Who’s Responsible for our Veterans
2. A Call to Serve those who have Served us
3. Understanding Military Culture
4. Common Treatment Issues
5. Connecting with the VA

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Department of Defense
➢ Defense Intelligence Agency
➢ National Security Agency
➢ NORAD
➢ National Geospatial Intelligence Agency
➢ Missile Defense Agency
➢ National War College
➢ And more…

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Department of Defense

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A Cabinet-level executive branch department
of the federal government charged with
integrating life-long healthcare services to
eligible military veterans at >1700 VA medical
centers and outpatient clinics located throughout
the country.

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Also provides non-healthcare benefits to military
veterans which include disability compensation,
vocational rehabilitation, education assistance,
home loans, and life insurance; and provides
burial and memorial benefits to eligible veterans
and family members at 135 national cemeteries.

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The VA Battles America’s Veteran
Mental Health Crisis with Telehealth
February 13, 2019
➢ "One in every four active-duty members of the
United States military exhibit symptoms of mental
illness, which are mostly the manifestation of
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression,
traumatic brain injury (TBI), and/or transition
stress.”
The VA Battles America's Veteran Mental Health Crisis With Telehealth - NeuroFlow

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The VA Battles America’s Veteran
Mental Health Crisis with Telehealth
February 13, 2019
➢ "The lifetime prevalence of depression and
PTSD are five and fifteen times higher
respectively when comparing veterans to
civilians.”
The VA Battles America's Veteran Mental Health Crisis With Telehealth - NeuroFlow

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The VA Battles America’s Veteran
Mental Health Crisis with Telehealth
February 13, 2019
➢ “It is an inescapable fact: serving in the armed
forces and returning to civilian life afterwards is
difficult. Transition stress encompasses all of
the pressures that veterans face when
transitioning back into civilian life, which can
also trigger mental health consequences.”
The VA Battles America's Veteran Mental Health Crisis With Telehealth - NeuroFlow

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The VA Battles America’s Veteran
Mental Health Crisis with Telehealth
February 13, 2019
➢ “The extreme physical and mental duress that
the men and women serving in the U.S. Military
experience, both while serving and while
transitioning back to civilian life, can trigger and
exacerbate mental health issues. The risk for
suicide was 22% higher amongst veterans than it
was non-veteran civilians.”
The VA Battles America's Veteran Mental Health Crisis With Telehealth - NeuroFlow

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The VA Battles America’s Veteran
Mental Health Crisis with Telehealth
February 13, 2019
➢ “The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA)
mental health report from June 2018 provides
evidence that the suicide rate amongst veterans
has grown by 25.9% from 2005 to 2015.”
➢ “In fact, veterans are one and a half times more
likely to take their own life than nonveterans.”
The VA Battles America's Veteran Mental Health Crisis With Telehealth - NeuroFlow

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Gen. Martin E. Debussy,
Chm. of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
2011-2015
“We face a deficit that is that’s larger than our budget,
and that is a deficit of understanding between those of
us who serve in uniform and our fellow citizens.”
Retrieved from http://www.wbur.org/npr/263333207/chairman-ofjoint-chiefs-
warns-of-disconnect-with-military

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VA MISSION ACT OF 2018 and Telehealth Law and Policy: A Closer Look at Governing the
Practice of Telehealth for Veterans' Mental Health (americanbar.org)

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• Authorizes access to walk-in community clinics
for enrolled veterans who have previously used
VA healthcare services in the last two years.
• Authorizes local provider agreements to
remove bureaucratic red tape and to meet
veteran’s needs in the community.
• Creates standards of timely payment to
community care providers.
The VA Maintaining Internal Systems & Strengthening
Integrated Outside Networks Act

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Balancing Demand and Supply for Veterans' Health Care | RAND
Despite the shrinking population of
veterans, the number of veterans who
use VA for healthcare will increase
until 2019.

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The US is amid the largest military
demobilization in its history. Projections
suggest that 300,000 are returning with
symptoms of PTSD or major depression;
320,000 have been exposed to probable
TBIs; and hundreds of thousands are
dealing with psychological effects of
physical injuries.
The Pew Research Center reports that 44% of veterans
from current wars are describing their adjustment to
civilian life as “difficult,” and many of them are, and
will be, returning to civilian mental health and primary
care clinicians for assistance.

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Pamela
S.
Hyde,
JD
View
From the Administrator (2009-2015)
“Because we know that private-sector providers can be more
effective in treating military consumers if they understand the
military culture, combat experience, and challenges of
deployment, SAMHSA encourages civilian mental health
practitioners to become certified TRICARE providers.”
Credentialing information and details on participating in the
TRICARE network are available through the SAMHSA
Technical Assistance Packet for Becoming a TRICARE Provider.
SAMHSA - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

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View
From the Administrator

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1. Branches the US Military
➢ Army
➢ Navy
➢ Marines
➢ Coast Guard
➢ Air Force
➢ Space Force

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2. Rank
➢ Enlisted
➢ Noncommissioned Officers
➢ Warrant Officers
➢ Officers
https://slideplayer.com/slide/12270372/#.YFIrjlfIL4w.gmail
Link for Understanding the Military Rank Structure:

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3. Hierarchy
file:///Y:/000%20ITTI/001%20COURSES/MILITARY/RESEARCH/KH%
20-Military%20Research/Military%20Rank%20Charts_0.pdf
Link for Military Rank Chart:

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4. Language • PMS: Prof. of Military Science
• MANPADS: MAN-Portable Air-Defense
System
• MANCOC: Maneuver Advanced NCO
Course
• DICC: Defense Intelligence Collection Cell
• DISCO: Defense Industrial Security
Clearance Office
• MAGIC CARPET: Maritime Augmented
Guidance and Integrated Controls for
Carrier Approach and Recovery Precision
Enabling Technologies
• DRBOB: Defense Resale Business
Optimization Board
• FARP: Forward Area Refueling Point

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4. Language
• BLT: Battalion Landing Team
• AOC: Army Operating Concept
Military Acronyms and Terms - Military Parent Technical Assistance Center (branchta.org)
Link for military acronyms and terminology:
https://images04.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/
2019-04/2z7fsl.jpg?itok=SxvtMm2d

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5. General Observations
➢ Nonhomogeneous: each branch and
each service member is unique.
➢ Families: soldiers are recruited, but
families are enlisted. (Moore, 2012, p. 7)
➢ Hierarchy: significance of leadership
➢ Mission: priority over everything else
➢ Values: each branch has its own core
values

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5. General Observations
➢ Shared Oath Allegiance
“I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that
I will support and defend the Constitution of
the United States against all enemies, foreign
and domestic; that I will bear true faith and
allegiance to the same; that I take this
obligation freely, without any mental
reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I
will well and faithfully discharge the duties of
the office on which I am about to enter.

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5. General Observations
➢ Uniform code of military Justice (UCMJ)

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Learn About Military Culture | Center for Deployment Psychology
Uniformed Services University
Link for USU:

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• Traumatic Brain Injury
• PTSD & ASD
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Suicide
• Substance Abuse
• Family Issues

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Traumatic Brain Injury
Primary Blast Injury
Secondary Blast Injury
Tertiary Blast Injury

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ASD & PTSD
A Family’s Guide to
PTSD
A Family's Guide to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (pdhealth.mil)
➢ What is ASD? What is PTSD?
➢ What is the difference?
➢ How would you explain these
disorders to a family?
➢ How would you help a family
cope with a vet suffering with
ASD or PTSD?

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Depressive Disorders
VA/DOD Essentials For Depression Screening
& Assessment in Primary Care
Follow this link: Patient check-in form.pdf (va.gov)
➢ Suicide Assessment
➢ Major Depressive Disorder screening
➢ Patient Health Questionnaire

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Suicidality
In 2018, 541 active and reserve service members
died by suicide. Within the active component, the
suicide rate was 24.8 per 100,000 personnel. In
the service reserves, the suicide rate for 2018 was
22.9 suicides per 100,000, and in the National
Guard, the 2018 suicide rate was 30.6 per 100,000.
DOD Report on Suicide
26 SEP 19
DOD Releases Report on Suicide Among Troops, Military Family Members > U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE > Defense Department News

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https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/11/12/suicide-rate-among-veterans-up-again-
slightly-despite-focus-on-prevention-efforts/

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Substance Abuse
veterans with substance abuse problems - Bing images

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Family Issues
hqdefault.jpg (480×360) (ytimg.com)

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Community Care - Community Care (va.gov)
1. Eligibility
2. Appointments
3. Getting Care
4. Billing

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Community Care Network - Community Care (va.gov)

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Provider Reference Library - Community Care (va.gov)
Provider Reference Library
Program
Fact Sheets
Contract &
Locator Links
Forms &
Guides
Education &
Training

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Learn About Military Culture | Center for Deployment Psychology
Uniformed Services University
Link for USU:

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This presentation is a very brief overview.
It does not qualify as training and does not
entitle you to counsel military veterans.
For training go to International Trauma Training Institute
(traumaonline.net)

41. Ainspan, Nathan D., Bryan, Craig J., Penk, Walter E. (eds.) (2016). Handbook of Psychological
Interventions for Veterans and Service Members: A Guide for the Non-Military Mental
Health Clinician. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Bush, Shane S. (ed.) (2014) Psychological Assessments of Veterans. New York, NY: Oxford
University Press.
Everson, R. Blaine. & Figley, Charles R. (Eds.) (2014). Families Under Fire: Systemic Therapy
With Military Families. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hicks, Robert (1993) Trauma: The Pain That Stays. Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell.
Moore, Brett A. (Ed.) (2012). Handbook of Counseling Military Couples. New York, NY:
Routledge.
Psychological Health Center of Excellence (2017) A Family’s Guide to Posttrraumatic Stress
Disorder. Washington, D.C.: VA & DoD.
Veterans Administration & Department of Defense (2016) Clinical Practice Guideline For The
Management of Major Depressive Disorder (ver. 3.0). Washington, D.C.: VA & DoD.
Veterans Administration & Department of Defense (2017) Clinical Practice Guideline For The
Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Acute Stress Disorder (ver. 3.0).
Washington, D.C.: VA & DoD.
Williams, Tom (Ed.) (1980). Posttraumatic Stress Disorders of the Vietnam Veteran:
Observations and Recommendations for the Psychological Treatment of the Veteran and
His Family. Cincinnati, OH: Disabled American Veterans.
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Florida State University
Course NGR 6639: “Foundations for Working with Military/
Veteran and Their Families in a Healthcare Setting”
Email: help@campus.fsu.edu
Liberty University
Masters & Doctoral degrees offered
https://www.liberty.edu/military/counseling
Regent University
Masters degree offered
https://explore.regent.edu/psychology