Paule T. Pachter, A.C.S.W., L.M.S.W.

Deputy Executive Director

Central Nassau Guidance and Counseling Services, Inc.

ppachter@centralnassau.org

More than one third of all U.S. veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home with significant mental health and/or behavioral problems according to a recent study by medical researchers in San Francisco. Among the problems reported by these veterans are depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Former Georgia Senator Max Cleland who was disabled as a result of his service in Vietnam told CNN; "You can't send young Americans to places like Iraq and Afghanistan and expect them to fit right in when they get home. They bring that trauma home with them."

Approximately25 percent of all veterans returning home are experiencing serious mental health issues, many of them stemming from roadside bombs and other attacks that are a daily way of life in war-torn Iraq. According to the findings of the most recent study, younger veterans were far more likely to suffer than their older comrades. The mental health toll of this war is growing and I'm not certain that our Veterans Administration and its facilities can handle this crisis. Compounding this problem is the state of healthcare for our veterans in America. We have all seen and heard about the stories describing poor conditions at VA hospitals. We know that Washington is reducing funding for the Veterans Administration while at the same time looking to impose drastic cuts in government healthcare programs such as Medicaid. In addition, many returning veterans are reluctant to seek assistance for medical problems at veteran's facilities, so to think that they will seek help from these same facilities for emotional problems would be unrealistic.

Now is the time for state and local governments to work together with the not-for-profit mental health system. Similar to the way New York worked with our industry immediately following the events of September 11, 2001, we need a plan to address the mental health crisis for our returning soldiers.

Given the serious nature of mental illness and the long-range need for treatment of post traumatic stress disorders, our local mental health system can provide the necessary triage, case management, clinical treatment, medication management, family support and consumer education that is needed to help our veterans recover. There is tremendous stigma associated with mental illness. To make services readily available in local, community-based agencies simply makes good sense.

Our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who experience emotional problems must have access to quality mental health care that is convenient and affordable, and provided by experts in the mental health field. They must have access to comprehensive resources and support services that are the benchmark of our community mental health system. If we really want to support our troops as they return home, we must be able to provide them with quality mental health services that are adequately funded.

We have an obligation as a society to provide the best possible care to our armed services personnel. If you or a loved one believes that you might need help, please call our Counseling Center at 822-6111.