QUALITY CARE FOR VETERANS
- West Virginia has the highest number of men and women serving our country in the military per capita and close to one in ten West Virginians is a Veteran.
- Veterans have complex mental health needs.
Approximately 11-20% of Veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have PTSD. 10% of Gulf War Veterans and 30% of Vietnam era Veterans have been diagnosed with this disorder.The rate of PTSD and a co-occurring substance use disorders is between 25-50% in the new Veteran population. Additionally, up to 80% of Vietnam Veterans seeking PTSD treatment abuse alcohol.The risk of suicide among male U.S. veterans is double that of the general population. Annually, 5000-6500 veterans complete suicide in the US. That is approximately 20% of all US suicides.
- Health care regulations for veterans require that psychologists treating veterans be educated at the doctoral level.
For more help for military veterans, please follow this link: http://www.apa.org/topics/military/index.aspx