“In War there are no unwounded soldiers” (Narosky).

 War leaves a deep mark on military service men and women. The most commonly noted mental disorders noted are post-traumatic stress disorder,  other anxiety disorders, depression, and substance abuse. Out of these post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been found to be the most common (Bagalman, 2013).   In Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom. and Operation New Dawn PTSD has been found to affect 29% of veterans (Bagalman, 2013).  Another alarming statistic that is commonly reference is the high suicide rate in the military; in 2005 alone, 6,256 veterans committed suicide (McCarl, 2013)  There is a study, that looked at over one thousand Marines who had deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan  to determined demographic and psychosocial predictor variables of having a mental disorders by asking Marines to complete a survey then checking their health records (Booth-Kewley, Schmied, Highfill-McRoy, Larson, Garland & Ziajko, 2013).  Interestingly, the study found that those most satisfied with their leadership were statically more likely to have a psychiatric diagnosis ( Booth-Kewley,, Schmied, Highfill-McRoy, Larson, Garland & Ziajko, 2013).   It is projected that over 30% of Veterans will have a mental health diagnosis by 2014 (National Council of Behavioral Health, 2012). “The Department of Veteran Affairs has listed eight symptoms that indicate a mental disorder they are changes in sleep, appetite,  decreased energy or motivation, problems with attention,  uncharacteristic irritability or angry, feelings  of worthlessness, unhealthy reckless behaviors, thoughts of suicide, and  problems functioning at home, work, or school.” It is important to note majority of veterans/military personnel do not develop a mental illness. However there are many adjustments that all service men and women need to make in order to transition between deployment and home smoothly (2013).

Relatives often become the forgotten wounded of war. There are relatively few studies that investigate the health of military families. Being young and experiencing the possibility of losing a guardian can causes psychological concern. Children have been found to have more  anxiety, emotional,  and behavioral problems three years after a parent was deployed (Chandra,  Lara-Cinisomo, Jaycox, 2010) Being a long distance, from loved ones causes relationship strain.  Nearly 70% of respondents mentioned deployments lasting for at least a year in a study of military families (Zeber, Noel, Pugh, Copeland, Parchman, 2010). This creates a significant burden on spouses, children, caretakers, or friends.  Military service affects millions of Americans and healthcare providers need to know how to provide for veterans as well as the families of veterans. 

Bagalman, E. (2013). Mental disorders among oef/oif veterans using va health care: Facts and figures. Congressional Research Service,

Booth-Kewley,, S., Schmied, E., Highfill-McRoy, R., Larson, G., Garland, C., & Ziajko, L. (2013). Predictors of psychiatric disorders in combat veterans. BMC Psychiatry, 13(130), Retrieved from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/13/130

Chandra A, Lara-Cinisomo S, Jaycox L et al.

Children on the homefront: the experience of children from military families. Pediatrics 2010;125:16–25.

Department of Veteran Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.va.gov/vetdata/Veteran_Population.asp

McCarl, L. (2013). "to have no yesterday»': The rise of suicide rates in the military and among veterans. Creighton Law Review, 46, 394-416.

Milliken, Auchterionie and Hoge (2007). JAMA 298-2141-2148

Narosky,  J. Quote

National Council for Behavioral Health “Meeting the Behavioral Health Needs of Veterans:   

 “Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom” (Nov. 2012)

Office of the Army Surgeon General Mental Health Advisory Team (MHAT) IV, Final Report (Nov 06)

Office of the Army Surgeon General Mental Health Advisory Team (MHAT) VII Report, (May 2011)

Unknown. US Department of Veteran Affairs, (2013). Picture this: Veteran mental health challenges and solutions

Zeber, J., Noel, P., Pugh, M., Copeland, L., & Parchman, M. (2010). Family perceptions of post-deployment healthcare needs of iraq/afghanistan military personnel. Mental Health in Family Medicine, (7), 135-143.