PTSD AMONG WAR VETERANS

Poor Quality of Healthcare Accorded to War Veterans Dealing with PTSD
Healthcare Financing
Kang, B., Xu, H., & McConnell, E. S. (2019). Neurocognitive and psychiatric comorbidities of posttraumatic stress disorder among older veterans: a systematic review. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 34(4), 522-538.
Posttraumatic stress disorder is a common challenge among war veterans due to the severe problems these people usually find themselves exposed to in their duty line. Kang, Xu, and McConnell (2019) explore the cases of comorbidities that revolve around the occurrence of PTSD among war veterans. According to the findings from the research presented in the literature, the instances of PTSD have led to the loss of lives, especially among those who present with extreme cases of the condition. Consequently, it is described that the government has attempted to put in place appropriate measures through the formulation of supportive policies to ensure that the health care offered to veterans dealing with PTSD is adequately provided to lead to the attainment of favorable health outcomes.
Tsai, J., & Rosenheck, R. A. (2016). US veterans’ use of VA mental health services and disability compensation increased from 2001 to 2010. Health Affairs, 35(6), 966-973.
The financing of veteran health care services can equally provide relevant information that can be used to evaluate measures that have been put in place to manage the instances of PTSD among war veterans. Tsai and Rosenheck (2016) conducted a study to evaluate the rate of usage of veteran associated mental healthcare services and disability compensation from 2001 to 2010. The findings of this study indicated that there had been a significant rise in the number of veterans who use the associated healthcare services. According to the study, the increase results from the fact that the leadership in the United States has put in place the right supportive policies that have extensively enhanced these people’s access to healthcare services. For instance, according to the researchers, the formulated health care policies have made it possible for the war veterans to access psychotherapists who have extensively assisted them in managing different forms of Posttraumatic stress disorders.
Kaskie, B. (2020). Caring for Veterans Shouldn’t be a Partisan Issue. It Should be an American One.
Poor funding of mental health care services linked to the war veterans equally contributes to poor mentals health services offered to the veterans who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorders. According to Kaskie (2020), the lack of comprehensiveness in the health insurance offered to war veterans is one of the underlying reasons why these people can not get proper access to the right health care as far as their mental health is concerned. Most veterans’ health insurance does not cover mental health issues, such as posttraumatic stress disorders. As a result, veterans who usually face mental health issues such as posttraumatic stress disorders usually use their money to get appropriate care in the health facilities. Since psychiatric sessions for managing posttraumatic stress disorders are relatively expensive, some veterans dealing with the condition may fail to deal with the problem adequately.
Zuvekas, S. H. (2020). Financing of Behavioral Health Services: Insurance, Managed Care, and Reimbursement. In Foundations of Behavioral Health (pp. 71-99). Springer, Cham.
Proper financial allocation in healthcare is essential as far as the attainment of favorable health outcomes is concerned. Through appropriate financial allocations, health care facilities can have the right number of healthcare workers who can give essential services. Zuvekas (2020) conducted research that sought to examine the relationship between proper financing and the nature of behavioral therapy that is usually offered to war veterans. According to the research findings, it was revealed that there is a positive association between fundings and the uptake of care by the patients. The author then went ahead to examine the effects of poor funding on the uptake of healthcare services meant to address the cases of posttraumatic illnesses among war veterans. In this examination, it was apparent that the war veterans could not access proper mental healthcare to address their posttraumatic stress disorders because these facilities were not funded enough to be equipped with professional psychiatrists.
Docrat, S. (2020). Economic costs, impacts, and financing strategies for mental health in South Africa.
The analysis of the presented case of financing in the context of South Africa equally indicates how inadequate financing can equally lead to the occurrence of challenges among the war veterans. According to Docrat (2020), war veterans are supposed to receive some form of financial assistance from governments to improve various areas of their lives. Even though the governments have attempted to provide comprehensive health insurance to the war veterans, the channeling of this money to the public sector makes it hard for the war veterans to get appropriate care as some of the best psychiatric care is only available in the public sector. Thus, according to the descriptions issued by Docrat (2020), if the war veterans were to be given enough money for their various needs, they would find it easy to access essential mental health care services that would allow those dealing with posttraumatic stress disorders to attain the right health standards.
Leadership
Koven, S. G. (2017). PTSD and suicides among veterans—recent findings. Public Integrity, 19(5), 500-512.
Poor leadership in health care has heightened the incidences of PTSD and suicide rates among the veteran community. Koven (2017) examined the incidences of PTSD and suicides among the veterans and sought to find out some of the challenges that have affected the veterans’ capacity to access essential mental health care. At the apex of these challenges that limited their capacity to get appropriate care was poor leadership. Notably, according to the author, people serving in various military positions are usually encouraged to have high resilience to their challenges. Thus, the leaders have focused more on making the military personnel more resilient to the challenging environment instead of putting the right measures to enhance access to proper mental healthcare for those experiencing posttraumatic stress disorders. The overreliance on resilience instead of appropriate healthcare has made the veterans experience several challenges in their attempt to get quality healthcare services.
Wilmoth, J. M., London, A. S., & Landes, S. D. (2020). A population-based perspective on health care for US veterans. Public Policy & Aging Report, 30(1), 6-11.
The formulation of population-based healthcare services can have a profound effect on the improvement of individual objectives of the healthcare services being offered to people. In population-based healthcare services, the recognition of the fact that individual people in a population have unique sets of needs makes it possible for the leaders to formulate the process in such a way that such unique needs are adequately met. Notably, according to Wilmoth et al. (2020), the war veterans fall under the category of the vulnerable members of the population as a result of their high levels of susceptibility to a wide range of illnesses. The authors specifically highlight that because of the nature of the environment within which the members of the military operates, and they are more vulnerable to mental health illnesses such as Posttraumatic stress disorders and other forms of psychosis. In that case, the leaders need to engage in a lot of capacity building to ensure that comprehensive mental healthcare is adequately provided. However, upon the examination of the role that these leaders have done, it is apparent that they have not properly formulated the right healthcare policies, which can facilitate the integration of mental health services as an essential service meant for the wat veterans. Consequently, the veterans dealing with posttraumatic stress disorders still face a lot of challenges because of the problem.
Yehuda, R., & Hoge, C. W. (2016). The meaning of evidence-based treatments for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(5), 433-434.
The use of evidence-based treatment is associated with an improvement in the health outcomes of specific illnesses. In the context of mental illnesses, evidence-based practices in the treatment process make it possible for the patients to recover from the mental health issues facing them efficiently. Notably, the leadership in individual healthcare facilities dealing with the veterans’ needs has not properly put in place the right measures that can improve the health status of the war veterans. Yehuda and Hoge (2016) specifically illustrate the challenges that are faced in the mental health facilities as a result of the lack of integration of evidence-based practices. The management of posttraumatic stress disorders requires the use of evidence-based practices as the condition is known to be triggered by a wide range of situations. Thus, according to the authors, the war veterans dealing with different cases of posttraumatic stress disorders usually find it hard to recover from their conditions as the treatment methodologies applied in the health facilities can not adequately lead to the attainment of the most favorable health outcomes.
Professional standards
Isobel, S., Gladstone, B., Goodyear, M., Furness, T., & Foster, K. (2020). A qualitative inquiry into psychiatrists’ perspectives on the relationship of psychological trauma to mental illness and treatment: implications for trauma-informed care. Journal of Mental Health, 1-7.
Professional standards play a critical role in the attainment of favorable health outcomes among people dealing with different kinds of illnesses. In the management of posttraumatic stress disorders, the use of the right professionals is bound to make the treatment regime more effective. According to the descriptions issued by Isobel et al. (2020), professional psychiatrists usually find it easy to formulate appropriate treatment methodologies for the patients due to their high levels of expertise regarding psychiatry. In the context of war veterans dealing with posttraumatic stress disorders, the authors state that the limited number of professional psychiatrists has profoundly contributed to the poor health services that the affected people get. Ideally, it is argued that due to the poor services that result from incompetent healthcare workers, some war veterans have lost their confidence in the healthcare services offered to them at various levels. Consequently, a vast majority of the war veterans dealing with posttraumatic stress disorders usually fail to seek healthcare services.
Wheeler, K., & Phillips, K. E. (2019). The Development of Trauma and Resilience Competencies for Nursing Education. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 1078390319878779.
Wheeler and Phillips (2019) equally talk about the relevance of high levels of professionalism among nurses and its contribution to the treatments of posttraumatic stress disorders among war veterans. The two authors specifically describe the essence of the right skills in managing different forms of trauma that people who come from wars may experience. Another remarkable aspect presented in the research is the extent to which poor services regarding the management of posttraumatic stress disorders among war veterans has led to a profound decline in the uptake of these services. Arguably, according to the authors, high competency levels are valid criteria that can be used in selecting appropriate healthcare services. Suppose the affected people are highly confident about the services offered to them. In that case, they are likely to comply with the suggested treatment modules as they believe that such action is bound to yield positive health outcomes. Thus, according to the authors’ arguments, the law professionalism exhibited in some sections of health facilities has limited the health practitioners from seeking healthcare services that can have a positive effect in the management of their cases of posttraumatic stress disorders.
Haaken, J. (2020). Psychiatry, Politics, and PTSD: Breaking Down. Routledge.
The war veterans are known to experience several challenges in their attempt to secure peaceful residence in society. Haaken (2020) talks explicitly about the existing stereotypes regarding the lives of war veterans. Notably, some of these stereotypes have made it a challenge for the war veterans to be accepted in society due to the existing negative beliefs people uphold. Arguably, according to Haaken (2020), most people in the society perceive war veterans to be people who are violent as they are accustomed to environments where a lot of wars take place. Thus, a vast majority of people may opt to distance themselves from these war veterans for fear of being subjected to some levels of harm, which may make them lose their lives or their properties. The kind of fear that people attach towards the veterans have made these veterans distance themselves from the ordinary members of society. Arguably, the action of distancing themselves from the ordinary members of society can have a negative effect on their levels of uptake to essential healthcare services, including those meant to treat their cases of posttraumatic stress disorders.
Ethics
Motta-Ochoa, R., Lencucha, R., Xu, J., & Park, M. (2019). A matter of time: grappling with everyday ethical tensions at the confluence between policy and practice in a psychiatric unit. Journal of medical ethics.
Ethics play a critical role in healthcare as they determine the nature of the health services offered at different levels of care. For the war veterans dealing with different cases of Posttraumatic stress disorders, the management of their issues from an ethical perspective is bound to improve the nature of their health outcomes. Arguably, the nature of the care issued to individual patients determines their capacity to come back to get the stated services. Also, psychiatric care is highly sensitive and requires plenty of ethical considerations. According to Motta-Ochoa et al. (2019), the existing psychiatric units do not offer services that adhere to the stipulated ethical considerations. Consequently, the war veterans have had a hard time seeking mental healthcare in these facilities.
Potter, N. N., & El-Mallakh, R. (2019). The interface of ethics and psychiatry: a philosophical case consultation on psychiatric ethics on the ground. Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, 26(3), 179-189.
There exists some connection between ethical principles and psychiatry. Potter and El-Mallakh (2019) examine the association that exists between the two concepts. According to the argument presented by the author, ethics play an integral role in the attainments of positive outcomes at various levels of care. In the context of the management of posttraumatic stress disorders among war veterans, adherence to these ethical considerations makes it possible for the war veterans to have confidence in the services that are offered to them. Consequently, through confidence, war veterans can find it easy to comply with all the essential treatment regimes meant to enable them to recover from posttraumatic stress disorder.
Molewijk, B., & Reiter-Theil, S. (2016). The particular relevance of clinical ethics support in psychiatry: concepts, research, and experiences.
The nature of the support that the patients can get from the healthcare workers equally fall in the category of the ethical ideas meant to enable them to deal with their cases of posttraumatic stress disorders. According to the descriptions of Molewijk and Reiter-Theil (2016), the clinical support given to war veterans dealing with different cases of posttraumatic stress disorders profoundly lead to a positive prognosis. However, according to the authors, it is argued that a vast majority of the war veterans do not always get access to this form of support leading to a drastic decline in their capacity to seek and comply with the stipulated treatment methods.
Laws
Tran, T. V., Canfield, J., & Chan, K. (2016). The association between unemployment status and physical health among veterans and civilians in the United States. Social work in health care, 55(9), 720-731.
Health policies play an integral role in the organization of care given to patients at various levels. Arguably, through the health policies, it is possible to regulate the nature of the services given to the patients. Tran, Canfield, and Chan (2016) examine the relevance of these policies put in place to assist the war veterans. The primary subject of examination, according to these authors, is how unemployment contributes to the occurrence of poor health among war veterans. According to the authors, Arguably, the fact that some of the war veterans have not been integrated into any form of employment reduces their capacity to access essential healthcare services that can be beneficial to those experiencing posttraumatic stress disorders. Therefore, the authors state that there is a need to integrate the veteran’s informal employments to enhance their financial capacity to access essential healthcare services.

Makridis, C., Zhao, D., Bejan, C. A., & Alterovitz, G. (2020). Leveraging Machine Learning to Characterize the Role of Socio-Economic Determinants on Physical Health and Well-Being Among Veterans. Gil, Leveraging Machine Learning to Characterize the Role of Socio-Economic Determinants on Physical Health and Well-Being Among Veterans (9/1/2020).
Health policies meant to enhance the veteran’s capacity to get the right economic support equally contributes to the improvements that can be attained as far as their health status is concerned. Makridis et al. (2020) examine the essence of the economic policies that are meant to empower the war veterans to have the capacity to afford essential healthcare services that can be accorded to them. According to the author’s argument, financial capacity extensively makes the war veterans have the resources that can be used in the management of all forms of posttraumatic stress disorders. Thus, the authors state that the absence of laws that can ensure that the war veterans receive financial support from the government is a fundamental reason behind the fact that some of them can not access essential psychiatric medical assistance. Therefore, according to the authors, the government needs to formulate laws that can economically empower war veterans to a level where they are not affected by poor health’s economic determinants.
Mathewson-Chapman, M., & Chapman, H. J. (2019). Addressing Combat Veterans’ Health Challenges in Postdeployment Reintegration. Academic Medicine, 94(1), 9.
The formulation of the right laws and policies can equally go along way in the mitigation of the challenges faced by the war veterans. Mathewson-Chapman (2019) examines some of the challenges that are faced by war veterans after finishing their services. The author then goes ahead to illustrate the extent to which the formulation of supportive policies can help in the management of some of these problems. By creating supportive policies, it would be possible to build proper capacity for the war veterans to access essential services like psychotherapy sessions for those dealing with posttraumatic stress disorders.
Economics
Crain, S. N. (2019). From Soldier to Civilian: A Review of Texas Veteran Reintegration Programs for Factors That Aid or Inhibit the Successful Transition of Newly-Discharged Military (Doctoral dissertation, Tarleton State University).
Poor funding of programs meant to support veterans usually challenges veterans’ transition to experience some challenges in their attempt to enjoy their stay in society after giving their services. Crain(2019) specifically illustrates the extent to which war veterans may experience several challenges when they become civilians. According to the author, the low funding of veteran programs means that some of the objectives can not be met efficiently. For instance, the war veterans can not have proper access to essential mental healthcare since the health programs to address such issues are not properly funded.
Thomas, K. S., & Allen, S. M. (2016). Interagency partnership to deliver Veteran-Directed Home and Community-Based Services: Interviews with Aging and Disability Network agency personnel regarding their experience with partner Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development, 53(5).
Thomas and Allen (2016) describe the essence of Veteran-Directed Home and Community-Based Services and its contribution to attaining the right health standards among the veterans. According to the authors, even though the government has put in place robust measures to ensure that the welfare of the war veterans is properly met, the poor funding of these programs challenges the implementation of the objectives of the program. For instance, the comprehensive nature of veterans’ health services means that mental health should be availed to them proportionately. However, since the funding has not been properly done, these veterans still find it a challenge to access essential health services that can be applied in the management of their cases of posttraumatic stress disorders.
Villafan, F. (2016). Navigating Veteran Homelessness in San Diego (Doctoral dissertation).
The levels of homelessness depicted among the war veterans pose a lot of challenges to the attainment of positive health status among them. According to Villafan (2016), the proportion of homeless veterans is significantly high as they get little support from the government. These homeless veterans usually find it hard to access essential healthcare services that can aid in the management of health issues such as posttraumatic stress disorders.

References
Crain, S. N. (2019). From Soldier to Civilian: A Review of Texas Veteran Reintegration Programs for Factors That Aid or Inhibit the Successful Transition of Newly-Discharged Military (Doctoral dissertation, Tarleton State University).
Docrat, S. (2020). Economic costs, impacts, and financing strategies for mental health in South Africa.
Haaken, J. (2020). Psychiatry, Politics, and PTSD: Breaking Down. Routledge.
Isobel, S., Gladstone, B., Goodyear, M., Furness, T., & Foster, K. (2020). A qualitative inquiry into psychiatrists’ perspectives on the relationship of psychological trauma to mental illness and treatment: implications for trauma-informed care. Journal of Mental Health, 1-7.
Kang, B., Xu, H., & McConnell, E. S. (2019). Neurocognitive and psychiatric comorbidities of posttraumatic stress disorder among older veterans: a systematic review. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 34(4), 522-538.
Kaskie, B. (2020). Caring for Veterans Shouldn’t be a Partisan Issue. It Should be an American One.
Koven, S. G. (2017). PTSD and suicides among veterans—recent findings. Public Integrity, 19(5), 500-512.
Makridis, C., Zhao, D., Bejan, C. A., & Alterovitz, G. (2020). Leveraging Machine Learning to Characterize the Role of Socio-Economic Determinants on Physical Health and Well-Being Among Veterans. Gil, Leveraging Machine Learning to Characterize the Role of Socio-Economic Determinants on Physical Health and Well-Being Among Veterans (9/1/2020).
Mathewson-Chapman, M., & Chapman, H. J. (2019). Addressing Combat Veterans’ Health Challenges in Postdeployment Reintegration. Academic Medicine, 94(1), 9.
Molewijk, B., & Reiter-Theil, S. (2016). The particular relevance of clinical ethics support in psychiatry: concepts, research, and experiences.
Motta-Ochoa, R., Lencucha, R., Xu, J., & Park, M. (2019). A matter of time: grappling with everyday ethical tensions at the confluence between policy and practice in a psychiatric unit. Journal of medical ethics.
Potter, N. N., & El-Mallakh, R. (2019). The interface of ethics and psychiatry: a philosophical case consultation on psychiatric ethics on the ground. Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, 26(3), 179-189.
Thomas, K. S., & Allen, S. M. (2016). Interagency partnership to deliver Veteran-Directed Home and Community-Based Services: Interviews with Aging and Disability Network agency personnel regarding their experience with partner Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development, 53(5).
Tran, T. V., Canfield, J., & Chan, K. (2016). The association between unemployment status and physical health among veterans and civilians in the United States. Social work in health care, 55(9), 720-731.
Tsai, J., & Rosenheck, R. A. (2016). US veterans’ use of VA mental health services and disability compensation increased from 2001 to 2010. Health Affairs, 35(6), 966-973.
Villafan, F. (2016). Navigating Veteran Homelessness in San Diego (Doctoral dissertation).
Wheeler, K., & Phillips, K. E. (2019). The Development of Trauma and Resilience Competencies for Nursing Education. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 1078390319878779.
Wilmoth, J. M., London, A. S., & Landes, S. D. (2020). A population-based perspective on health care for US veterans. Public Policy & Aging Report, 30(1), 6-11.
Yehuda, R., & Hoge, C. W. (2016). The meaning of evidence-based treatments for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(5), 433-434.
Zuvekas, S. H. (2020). Financing of Behavioral Health Services: Insurance, Managed Care, and Reimbursement. In Foundations of Behavioral Health (pp. 71-99). Springer, Cham.