VA mental health services utilization in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in the first year of receiving new mental health diagnoses

Little is known about mental health services utilization among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans receiving care at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities. Of 49,425 veterans with newly diagnosed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), only 9.5% attended 9 or more VA mental health sessions in 15 we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of traumatic stress 2010-02, Vol.23 (1), p.5-16
Main Authors: Seal, Karen H., Maguen, Shira, Cohen, Beth, Gima, Kristian S., Metzler, Thomas J., Ren, Li, Bertenthal, Daniel, Marmar, Charles R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Afghan Campaign 2001
Aged
Databases, Factual
Female
Hospitals, Veterans
Humans
Iraq War, 2003-2011
Male
Mental Health Services - utilization
Middle Aged
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - therapy
United States - epidemiology
Veterans - psychology
Young Adult
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Summary:Little is known about mental health services utilization among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans receiving care at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities. Of 49,425 veterans with newly diagnosed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), only 9.5% attended 9 or more VA mental health sessions in 15 weeks or less in the first year of diagnosis. In addition, engagement in 9 or more VA treatment sessions for PTSD within 15 weeks varied by predisposing variables (age and gender), enabling variables (clinic of first mental health diagnosis and distance from VA facility), and need (type and complexity of mental health diagnoses). Thus, only a minority of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with new PTSD diagnoses received a recommended number and intensity of VA mental health treatment sessions within the first year of diagnosis.
ISSN:0894-9867
1573-6598
DOI:10.1002/jts.20493