Week 5_Luaces PS360

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Katie Luaces 15 February 2022 Week 5, Final Project Checkpoint – Letter to Your Representative Tammy Duckworth: Illinois Senator, Democratic Party Contact information: Capitol Office 524 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510 Phone: (202)-224-2854 District Office #3 230 South Dearborn Street Suite 3900 Chicago, IL 60604 Phone: (312)-866-3506 Introduction : My name is Katie Luaces, and I am not only an Active-Duty Service Member, but I am also a student at the University of Arkansas Grantham, who would like to bring to your attention the current state of mental health disorders amongst Veterans and how there needs to be a more significant push in the Veterans Affairs system to spearhead different treatment options and support. As you are a Veteran, I know your mission and commitment to supporting Veterans is a deeply connected cause. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2018, there were 18 million Veterans in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). And according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 1.7 million Veterans received treatment in a VA mental health specialty program during 2018 (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2022). It is possible to suffer from any mental disorders as a Veteran, and the severity can range from mild to severe. Still, the most common mental health disorders diagnosed when a Veteran seeks help are depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The symptoms can range from anxiety, irritability, anger, insomnia, and substance abuse. More often than not, the veterans themselves will seek out the help of their own free will, where they will meet with mental health professionals and conduct a screening. The provider will look over past medical history and perform a cognitive evaluation during the assessment. During this evaluation, the provider will gauge the patients’ ability to recall information, use mental reasoning, and emotional state. From here, the provider can make an accurate diagnosis.

When it comes to veterans who suffer from mental disorders, there is a higher probability that those who served in a combat zone will have experienced more trauma and stress than those who never served in a combat zone, thus being more susceptible to mental illness disorders. Just because a Veteran did not deploy to a combat zone does not exclude them from developing a mental illness. The everyday stressors of being in the military, from the long hours, being out in a field training environment, separation from loved ones for an extended period, and unfortunately, possibly being subjected to sexual harassment or assault, can lead to the diagnosis of mental disorders. More often than not, members who are still actively serving will be very hesitant to seek help for mental disorders due to their stigma. That is why many Veterans will seek care as they are in their final year of service or shortly after they separate. The stigma of mental health disorders in the military is a real issue, as it is often thought that negative consequences will occur, or one will be looked down upon as a weak link if they ask for help with still serving. But the stigma seems to dissipate as soon as the service member is separated and on the Veteran side of the house. Outside Source: One source that I will be using outside of the textbook is an online textbook titled Evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services. “In the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013, Congress included a mandate for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) to conduct a study to assess the VHA's mental health care services and provide recommendations to assist the VHA with improving its services”. This publication has gathered the evidence and findings of how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) have handled the influx of service members and veterans that have returned home and begun experiencing mental health conditions after taking part in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was brought to the media’s attention that many veterans were having difficulties obtaining not only health care appointments promptly, but there was a significant delay in securing and attending mental health service appointments in a reasonable amount of time. I will use this source to discuss my argument as to why it is necessary and crucial for mental health services to be readily available to veterans.

References National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24915 . U.S. Census Bureau. (2020, June 2). Census Bureau Releases New Report on Veterans. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/veterans-report.html . U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2022). Office of Research & Development: Mental Health. https://www.research.va.gov/topics/mental_health.cfm .

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