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STUDY: STIGMA STILL A BARRIER FOR MILITARY MEMBERS
AND SPOUSES SEEKING MENTAL HEALTH CARE --
61% think it will have negative impact on career.
53% believe others will think less of them.
For more about the stigma associated with mental
health issues, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=stigma&op=and
American Psychiatric Association web site is
here...
http://www.psych.org/
We have two stories...first is the APA press
release...second is a news story from The Wall Street Journal.
APA press release here...
http://www.businesswire.com/portal
/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20
080430005380&newsLang=en
Press release below:
-------------------------
Study Finds Stigma May Still Be a Barrier for
Many Military Members and Military Spouses Seeking Mental Health Care
ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Psychiatric Association (APA)
today released a study conducted by Harris Interactive® that shows stigma
may still play a significant role in preventing many military members and
military spouses from obtaining the mental health care they need. The
survey shows that six in ten military members (61%) think that seeking
help for mental health concerns would have at least some negative impact
on their career. In addition, about half of military members (53%) believe
that others will think less of them if they seek help for mental health
concerns.
A unique characteristic of this survey is that military spouses are given
a voice, and share their perceptions of mental health issues,
understanding, and treatment. “It’s important to remember that the mental
health trials that service members experience can have a ripple effect
throughout their immediate family while they are serving and upon their
return home,” said Carolyn B. Robinowitz, M.D., president of the American
Psychiatric Association.
While respondents generally rated their overall mental health as good or
excellent (including 71% of military members and 75% of military spouses),
many report regularly experiencing common symptoms of mental illness. This
includes nearly half (48%) that report difficulty sleeping at least twice
a week and about a third (34%) that report a lack of interest in daily
activities at least twice a week. The majority of spouses also reported a
lot or a little stress from handling domestic issues alone (60%) and
single parenting (54%).
In addition, respondents reported low levels of
knowledge when it comes to common warning signs of, and treatment options
for, mental health issues that may result from being deployed to or
serving in support of a war zone. The survey showed that about half of
military members (49%) and military spouses (53%) say they are somewhat or
not at all knowledgeable about the warning signs of mental health concerns
from such service and about 6 in 10 military members (59%) and two thirds
of military spouses (66%) say they know little or nothing at all about
effective treatments that exist for mental health concerns that may arise
from serving in a war zone.
“Of particular concern is the fact that over a quarter of military members
(26%) and about a fifth of military spouses (18%) say they know nothing at
all about effective mental health treatments for issues that may arise
from their service in a war zone,” said Dr. Robinowitz.
While greater education about mental illnesses is clearly needed, most
respondents did express belief in the fact that mental illnesses can be
successfully treated (with 87% of respondents agreeing with this
statement). “It’s encouraging that respondents understand mental illness
is real and treatable,” said Dr. Robinowitz. “In addition, the vast
majority of respondents, 92%, agree that seeking mental health treatment
can help people take control of their lives.”
The National Alliance on Mental Illness and the National Military Family
Association joined with the APA during a press conference in Washington,
D.C. to release these findings and call for greater education and services
for military members and their spouses. The APA is dedicated to promoting
high quality mental health care for military members and their families.
Its efforts in this area include ongoing advocacy work, testifying before
congressional panels, special-focus internal groups – including the
Society of Uniformed Services Psychiatrists and the Committee on Mental
Healthcare for Veterans & Military Personnel & Their Families – and
primary research such as this new survey.
For more information about mental illnesses associated with serving in a
war zone, including brochures and fact sheets on post traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety disorders, please visit
www.HealthyMinds.org.
Additional Survey Findings
Additional study findings highlight more thoughts on access to care for
mental health issues within the military and the differing opinions of
military members and military spouses relating to the military’s
commitment to supporting their mental health:
* Military spouses were less likely to believe that the military cares
about their mental health, with only 48% of spouses agreeing to this
statement versus 62% of military members.
* Additionally, 63% of military members and 37% of military spouses say
they avoid discussing any mental health concerns they might have with
other people.
* While about seven in ten military members (73%) say that it is currently
very or somewhat easy for them to get mental health treatment, including
treatment for substance abuse and alcohol dependence, only 63% of military
members who are currently not serving say it was very or somewhat easy to
do so while they were serving in the military.
* Of those respondents who expressed an opinion as to whether there are
enough psychiatrists available through TRICARE to meet the needs of
military members and their spouses, about twice as many felt there are not
enough (67% as compared to 33% who felt there are enough).
About the American Psychiatric Association:
The American Psychiatric Association is a national medical specialty
society whose more than 38,000 physician members specialize in diagnosis,
treatment, prevention and research of mental illnesses, including
substance use disorders.
“Healthy Minds. Healthy Lives.” is APA’s consumer campaign to improve
understanding of mental illnesses, psychiatry, and successful treatment
options, as well as to reduce stigma. Learn more about these issues by
visiting the campaign’s Web site at
www.HealthyMinds.org.
About Harris Interactive:
Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a
long and rich history in multimodal research, powered by science and
technology, Harris Interactive assists clients in achieving business
results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through its North
American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market
research firms.
About the Survey:
The Military Mental Health Survey was conducted online within the United
States by Harris Interactive on behalf of the American Psychiatric
Association between March 5-18, 2008 among a total of 191 military members
(n=78) and spouses of military members (n=113), using the Harris Poll
Online Panel.
Military members are defined as U.S. adults ages 18 to 54 who are current
or former members of the armed forces including active, reserve, and
national guard, and report to ever have been deployed to or sent in
support of a war zone since 2001 (e.g., Iraq, Afghanistan, and countries
in the Horn of Africa such as Djibouti or Senegal).
Based on data from this study, the incidence of military members and
military spouses among U.S. adults is 3% and 2% respectively. A full
methodology is available.
-------------------------
News story here...
http://online.wsj.com/articl
e/SB120952913163355705.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Story below:
-------------------------
THE FIGHT FOR IRAQ
Wars Harming Mental Health Of Soldiers, Spouses
Problems Present Long, Hidden Toll; Help Often
Avoided
By YOCHI J. DREAZEN
WASHINGTON -- The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have caused heightened
stress, depression and sleeplessness among some military personnel and
their families, a new report says.
The survey by the American Psychiatric Association, set to be released
Wednesday, found that 32% of military members believe their tours in the
two war zones had "at least some negative impact" on their mental
well-being. Among military spouses, 40% believed their mental health was
hurt by their husband's or wife's service overseas.
Many members of the military community remain reluctant to request
counseling, the report found. Almost 75% of the military personnel felt
that seeking help would harm their careers, while 66% of the military
spouses worried that looking for assistance for their own issues would
harm their loved ones' chances of promotion.
"The old beliefs remain in place in the military, and there's a real fear
that admitting to mental illness will mean being stigmatized," said Dr.
Carolyn Robinowitz, president of the American Psychiatric Association.
"The risk is that mental-health issues can go untreated, which has the
potential to really hit families hard."
This is the first time the APA has commissioned such a survey, making it
hard to judge changes over time in the mental health of military
personnel. The survey of 183 military members and 164 spouses was
conducted online by Harris Interactive. The report didn't give a margin of
error.
The report adds to concerns that mental-health problems will be a
long-term and largely hidden cost of current conflicts.
Because of advances in medicine, many military personnel are surviving
physical injuries that would have been fatal a few years earlier. But the
grinding nature of the counterinsurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, where
there are no clear front lines and where civilian casualties are common,
means that more veterans might suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder
or major depression than in conflicts such as World War II.
"The young men and young women today spend 365 days on the front lines,
and I think that has the possibility of a serious toll on someone," Rep.
Ike Skelton (D., Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee,
told reporters Tuesday.
A Rand Corp. study released this month said 20% of the roughly 1.6 million
military personnel who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan have symptoms of
post-traumatic stress disorder. It found that half of the military
personnel had friends who were seriously wounded or killed, while about
45% saw dead or wounded civilians.
"There's a cost in dollars, but most importantly there's a cost in lives
if we don't work to prevent suicides, prevent drug and alcohol abuse, and
prevent divorce and family problems," said Sen. Christopher Bond (R.,
Mo.), who is working on a bill designed to improve veterans' mental-health
care.
Sen. Bond's bill, which he hopes to introduce within days, would let
active-duty soldiers suffering from mental-health problems use the much
larger network of Veterans Administration facilities and treatment
centers. Active-duty soldiers can now seek care at facilities on military
installations and at national facilities such Walter Reed Army Medical
Center in Maryland.
The bill would also train veterans to offer psychological assistance to
other returning service personnel.
The new APA survey suggests that those risks extend to military spouses.
About three-quarters of the military personnel and spouses rated their
overall mental health as excellent or good, but about a quarter said they
suffered from regular bouts of sleeplessness, anxiety and depression.
About 40% of the military personnel and just more than half of the
military spouses said they felt stressed at least twice a week, and
similar numbers said their stress levels had increased more than they
expected since they or their loved ones served in the war zones.
The APA's Dr. Robinowitz said the risks of serious mental-health problems
increase the more times military personnel deploy to the war zones. The
military is facing growing manpower strains because of the two long wars,
and many soldiers and Marines have served two, three and in some cases
four tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"If you suffer a trauma on one tour, and then go back and are
retraumatized, you're more likely to have PTSD," she said. "The more
you're exposed to trauma, the more you can exacerbate the PTSD."
Write to Yochi J. Dreazen at
yochi.dreazen@wsj.com1
-------------------------
posted by Larry
Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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