The percentage increase in VA mental health visits by "former service members with an other-than-honorable (OTH) discharge compared to FY 2020," according to an article on the VA'a VAntage Point blog -- Dramatic increase in mental health services to other-than-honorable discharge Veterans.
Since 2000 over 449,000 service members have had at least one documented TBI, of which approximately 82% are mild (Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence, 2021). These injuries occur as part of mission-related activities while in-theater or during training exercises or as part of recreational activities. Many patients report experiencing headaches, memory and concentration issues, changes in mood, and increased irritability, depression, anxiety, and sleep problems (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2021).
The weekly Research Update contains the latest news, journal articles, useful links from around the web. Some of this week's topics include:
● Less dropout from prolonged exposure sessions prescribed at least twice weekly: A meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
● Cannabis use among U.S. military veterans with subthreshold or threshold posttraumatic stress disorder: Psychiatric comorbidities, functioning, and strategies for coping with posttraumatic stress symptoms.
● “Will it work for me?” Developing patient-friendly graphical displays of posttraumatic stress disorder treatment effectiveness.
Insomnia is one of the top sleep related diagnoses for military personnel and veterans (Kelly et al., 2019). Additionally, insomnia is associated with a myriad of psychological and medical problems, increases in utilization of healthcare services and costs (Bramoweth et al., 2022; Klingaman et al., 2018). It is a serious problem.
"(T)he lifetime prevalence of any headache disorder" (worldwide), according to a recent article in the journal Military Medicine -- The Primary Care Management of Headache: Synopsis of the 2020 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guideline.