What are the effects of addiction on veterans?

Combat-Related Stress Disorders

Battle trauma symptoms and substance abuse are not unique to veterans of wars and conflicts of the twenty-first century, such as Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Veterans of World Wars I and II, the Vietnam War, and even earlier campaigns also presented classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers have been studying the disorder for decades.

According to a 2010 article in the journal Behavioral Healthcare, since the start of OEF in 2001, a minimum of 15 percent of US and 6.1 percent of Canadian military personnel have presented symptoms of PTSD or major depressive disorder. In a 2009 Social Work journal article, specialists pointed out that 25 percent of the more than 100,000 veterans treated by US Veterans Administration (VA) health services received a mental health disorder diagnosis. More than one-half of these veterans were diagnosed with both PTSD and a substance abuse disorder. In addition, an estimated 70 percent of homeless veterans have a substance addiction.

In their book After the War Zone (2008), Laurie B. Slone and Matthew J. Friedman recommend that military personnel with PTSD and substance abuse disorders be treated for both conditions concurrently. PTSD and substance abuse disorders are underdiagnosed among military servicemembers, largely because both disorders carry a heavy stigma in the military; if either condition is reported on one’s medical record, the person likely will be excluded from pursuing a career in defense or law enforcement.

Substance Abuse Treatment

With a combat-related stress disorder, the servicemember’s thoughts are overwhelmed by memories of battle trauma. Symptoms include anxiety, anger, depression, and chronic nightmares.

Since the start of OEF in 2001, specialists have become increasingly convinced that addiction among veterans is directly related to the stresses of deployment and combat and that the treatment of substance abuse disorders among war veterans must occur in tandem with treatment for combat-related stress disorders like PTSD. Furthermore, specialists found that recovery strategies should involve psychological therapy, should address spiritual issues, and should focus on relaxation techniques and anger management. Because PTSD and substance abuse are chronic and dangerous disorders that are extremely difficult to treat, veterans, their family members, and care specialists should expect follow-up therapies, such as twelve-step programs and other support groups, to continue for several years following initial treatment.

According to a 2010 article in the journal Addiction Professional, more veterans are seeking treatment at the community level, rather than receiving services through the VA. Servicemembers and veterans may experience a degree of distrust in relying on the government to treat their conditions, so, knowing that military personnel and veterans are more inclined to seek help outside the military structure, the VA is seeking to partner with community resources. Treatment strategies include support groups, impulse-control programs, and soldiers-helping-soldiers programs, in which soldiers are trained to help their peers in dealing with combat-related stress. According to a June 2010 poll by Addiction Professional, more than 90 percent of respondents believed there is a shortage of community-based assistance for combat veterans, many citing the lack of PTSD treatment.

Outlook

Knowing the potential for veterans to tap the services of community mental health providers rather than government services, the US government seeks to raise awareness of the specific mental health issues affecting veterans. In 2006, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Treatment Communities of America held the National Behavioral Health Conference on Returning Veterans and Their Families to facilitate the partnership of government VA services with mental health practitioners and specialists in the private sector.

In July 2010, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the approval of $6 million in federal funding to support research by institutions in eleven US states specializing in substance abuse among military personnel, veterans, and their families. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) partnered with the VA to award grants earmarked for investigating the links between deployment and combat-related trauma with the prevalence of substance abuse, mainly among veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bibliography

Enos, Gary A. “Doing Whatever It Takes: Treatment Programs Try to Employ a Full Arsenal to Meet the Complex Needs of Veterans.” Addiction Professional 8.4 (2010): 16. Print.

Hambley, Janice M., and Anne Pepper. “An Assault on Trauma and Addiction: Returning Military Personnel Often Carry Hidden Wounds That Need Intensive, Long-Term Addiction Treatment.” Behavioral Healthcare 30.9 (2010). Print.

Peters, Katherine McIntire. “Agencies Examine Combat-Related Substance Abuse.” 26 Aug. 2010. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. http://www.govexec.com/defense/2010/08/agencies-examine-combat-related-substance-abuse/32231.

Savitsky, Laura, Maria Illingworth, and Megan DuLaney. “Civilian Social Work: Serving the Military and Veteran Populations.” Social Work (2009): 327. Print.

Schneider, Mary Ellen. “Long Tours Put Vets at Greater Risk for PTSD, Substance Abuse.” Internal Medical News (2009): 37. Print.

Slone, Laurie B., and Matthew J. Friedman. After the War Zone: A Practical Guide for Returning Troops and Their Families. Cambridge: DaCapo, 2008. Print.

Volkow, Nora D. “Substance Abuse among Troops, Veterans, and Their Families.” NIDA Notes 22.5 (2009). Web. 26 Mar. 2012. http://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/nida-notes/2009/11/substance-abuse-among-troops-veterans-their-families.