When you think about the struggles that military veterans today face, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is usually the first that comes to mind. In some ways, this goes to show how far we’ve come in recognizing the impact of PTSD on our military. However, PTSD is far from the ONLY issue affecting veterans. Many deal with additional overlapping challenges. Let’s explore what lies beyond PTSD in veterans and what they can do to find healing and long-term wellness.
Veterans’ Comorbid Mental Health Disorders & More: Why PTSD is Only Part of the Picture
According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, 14% of veterans using Veterans Health Administration (VHA) services in 2023 had a confirmed PTSD diagnosis. In fact, PTSD has been the most common new diagnosis among veterans in VHA care since 9/11. While the stats show that PTSD is the most prevalent mental health issue affecting veterans right now, many will also likely face additional, co-occurring disorders as well.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs states that about 80% of people with PTSD will have one or more mental health diagnoses. PTSD and trauma are also linked to physical health problems, too. That means that most veterans who have PTSD will also simultaneously struggle with another mental health disorder or physical challenge, such as:
- Substance abuse and addiction
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Chronic pain
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Moral injuries
And military veterans navigating complex PTSD (C-PTSD) face additional challenges. Due to the repeated and prolonged exposure to traumatic events like war and military conflict, veterans can struggle with emotional dysregulation. This means they may have a hard time managing difficult emotions (as well as their reactions to said emotions) when they arise. Consequently, veterans may experience relational problems and thoughts of suicide, shares the European Journal of Psychotraumatology.
A Closer Look at Complex Challenges Among Veterans
Coinciding with PTSD, the list of challenges above means that veterans have complex needs in behavioral health, physical health, and beyond. Let’s examine some of these challenges more closely to see their impact beneath the surface:
Co-Occurring Mental Health Disorders & Addiction
Many veterans’ mental health beyond PTSD can suffer as a result of the trauma they encounter during service. In addition to PTSD, other co-occurring mental health disorders that veterans may struggle with include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Panic disorder
- Bipolar disorder
Though veterans may face a myriad of mental health disorders, fewer than 50% receive any mental health treatment when they return home, shares the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Sadly, veteran suicide rates have reached their highest level in history, with over 6,000 veteran deaths by suicide each year, according to StatPearls.
As veterans struggle with their mental health and any underlying trauma, they may begin to self-medicate with substances like drugs or alcohol to cope. Over time, however, their brains develop a tolerance to these unhealthy coping mechanisms, requiring more of the substance more often to achieve the same effects. Consequently, many veterans can also struggle with co-occurring substance abuse and addiction.
Moral Injury in Veterans & Ethical Trauma
In addition to PTSD, veterans can also face moral injuries, or situations when your experiences or actions violate your deeply held moral beliefs, shares the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Moral injuries often occur as a result of doing something that goes against your beliefs or failing to do something that supports your beliefs. The aftermath of moral injuries is often distressing, negatively affecting you socially, psychologically, and spiritually while causing shame, guilt, and even existential crises.
While moral injury and PTSD often overlap, they are separate struggles. While some of the experiences are similar, it is possible to have moral injury without PTSD. However, having both simultaneously leads to greater PTSD symptom severity and increased likelihood of suicidal behavior.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) & Neurocognitive Impact
As military veterans face combat, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are common, such as physical blows to the head that lead to injury or disruption of brain function. When TBIs occur, the following symptoms usually happen immediately in the aftermath:
- Loss or decreased consciousness
- Loss of memory of events before or after injury
- Altered mental state when injury occurred
- Neurological deficits
- Intracranial abnormalities
A veteran’s traumatic brain injury and PTSD often coincide, but so does neurocognitive disorder (NCD). NCD involves the resulting cognitive impairment due to a traumatic brain injury, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs. NCD’s impact can range from mild to major, affecting veterans’ daily functioning.
Chronic Pain & Medical Comorbidity
Common and affecting more veterans than civilians, chronic pain involves continued pain beyond standard recovery time, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Often chronic pain and PTSD occur together as culprits of veterans’ chronic pain and mental health challenges, ultimately making each condition worse. Veterans can also struggle with other somatic and medical challenges, such as sleep disorders, cardiovascular issues, and musculoskeletal problems.
Identity & Transition Challenges
When veterans return home after deployment, there’s often an adjustment period that takes place. Many veterans struggle with an identity shift post-service, wondering how they fit back into the different roles of civilian life. The transition can feel like a loss of purpose, and the fallout can lead to self-isolation, disconnection from the world, and relational difficulties.
Family & Caregiver Strain
The challenges veterans face can add extra stress on their family members, who are themselves adjusting. Caregivers may also feel additional burdens supporting their veteran loved one’s complex needs. Conflicts can arise between veterans and loved ones, creating relational trauma among family members that often requires specialized family therapy to heal.
Treating Veterans’ Complex Needs: Evidence-Based Therapies & Interventions
As veterans navigate their struggles with PTSD and many of the other complex challenges listed above, how can they find long-term healing? For many, the next step is to seek professional treatment. But due to the military’s unique experiences, evidence-based therapy modalities for veterans (CPT, EMDR, ACT) are needed alongside holistic treatment practices. This means partnering with a comprehensive, specialized treatment center that offers:
- Trauma-focused therapies: Cognitive processing therapy (CPT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), narrative exposure therapy, and more can directly address veteran’s complex trauma needs driving their PTSD and co-occurring struggles.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): Rooted in compassion, ACT allows veterans to come to terms with their thoughts and emotions tied to trauma. As a result, they can make healthy changes that better align with their values, as well as enhance their emotional regulation skills.
- Group therapy and peer support: Having a shared experience and knowing you’re not alone can be of great benefit to veterans. Meeting with veteran peers further along in their recoveries provides a healthy perspective and hope to stay the course.
- Family therapy: Addressing veteran family therapy needs helps strengthen key family relationships, empowers family members to support their veteran loved ones, and heals any relational injuries.
- Integrated and holistic approaches: Holistic therapies that emphasize the mind-body connection, such as breathwork, yoga, and equine therapy, address the whole person, leading to comprehensive healing. Integrating behavioral care with medical care can also help address veterans’ mental and physical needs efficiently.
Barriers to Treatment for Veterans
Though holistic and evidence-based therapies for veterans’ complex trauma and other issues are highly beneficial, barriers often prevent service members from getting the help they need. Other challenges and health needs can be overshadowed by PTSD, leading to certain issues among veterans to be ignored or undiagnosed. Many providers and therapists also lack proper training in addressing moral injury, TBIs, and other comorbidities simultaneously.
Fragmented health care systems don’t help much either, often siloing mental health, specialty trauma, and medical care for veterans. These challenges, combined with entrenched societal stigmas, leave many veterans struggling with worsening symptoms as their proper care remains out of reach.
A Path Forward With Rally Point
Considering the complex need for veteran physical and mental health beyond PTSD, it’s clear that specialized professional treatment for veterans matters now more than ever. We understand this at Defining Wellness Centers in Mississippi, which is why we offer a dual diagnosis treatment program specifically for veterans and service members, called Rally Point. Multimodal, integrative, and flexible, Rally Point provides structured care for complex issues, including:
- Mental health disorders like PTSD, trauma, depression, and anxiety
- Co-occurring mental health challenges
- Alcohol and drug addiction
- Sleep and stress issues
With the right tailored, integrated care, veterans’ complex needs can finally be healed, allowing them to move forward with purposeful, fulfilling lives. If you are a veteran (or seeking help for a veteran loved one), call us now to discuss a care plan that meets all your needs.