Essay --

â€Å"No one comes home from war unchanged. But with early screening and adequate access to counseling, the psychological and neurological effects of combat are treatable.† (Williamson & Mulhall). Deployments to war zones change service members and their families. Some of the changes are positive and some combat experiences can be traumatic and leave a long-lasting emotional wound. Exposure to traumatic combat and operational experiences affects service members and veterans spiritually, psychologically, biologically, and socially. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and major depression are increasingly recognized and potentially preventable conditions. Certain factors, especially the severity of the trauma, obvious lack of social support and disconnection have been associated with its development. A recent study found U.S. veteran suicide rates are as high as 5,000 a year. Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, have reported symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slight more than half have sought out treatment, according to a new RAND Corporation study. In addition, researchers found about 19 percent of returning service members report that they experienced a possible traumatic brain injury while deployed. (Williamson & Mulhall) In military veterans and service members, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal thoughts are a problematic and common issue that has become closely linked to one another. If these illnesses are causing a mental issue with our military personnel, why are they less likely to seek out care? Many service members do not seek treatment for psychological illnesses bec... ...when it came to the topics that were being discussed, such as the injures they experience, the process and what the service members undergo in the home front that may be some potential triggers. The article is very detailed and it is a good recommendation for my fellow classmates to read, as it provides knowledge and awareness on this topic. Our military personnel and veteran clients remind us every day that extensive resources are needed to provide an equal playing field in the mental health care system, that we have much more to learn, and that the more we understand the illness in veterans and personnel, the more we can do to reduce their suffering. References Williamson, V., & Mulhall, E. (n.d.). Invisible Wounds: Psychological and Neurological Injuries Confront a New Generation of Veterans. Retrieved from http://iava.org/files/IAVA_invisible_wounds_0.pdf