Military Mental Health Care: A Guide for Service Members, Veterans, Families, and Community
By (Author) Cheryl Lawhorne-Scott
By (author) Don Philpott
Foreword by Sgt. Major Bryan Battaglia
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
22nd July 2015
United States
General
Non Fiction
Military veterans
362.208697
Winner of Booklist Top 10 Science Health Book 2013
Paperback
240
Width 154mm, Height 226mm, Spine 17mm
358g
Too often American veterans return from combat and spiral into depression, anger and loneliness they can neither share nor tackle on their own. Military Mental Health Care: A Guide for Service Members, Veterans, Families, and Community seeks to aid our troubled, returning forces by dissecting the numerous mental health problems they face upon arriving stateside. Don Philpott and Cheryl Lawhorne-Scott, co-authors with Janelle Hill of the highly successful Wounded Warrior Handbook, detail not only each issues symptoms, but also discuss what treatments are available, and the best ways for veterans to access those treatments while readjusting to civilian life.
In addition, they connect and explain many alarming trends, such as joblessness, poverty and addiction, appearing in our nations veteran population on a broader scale. PTSD and struggles with anxiety affect far more than veterans themselves, as sobering phenomena like homelessness, suicide, domestic violence and divorce too often become realities for those returning from war. Military Mental Health Care is both a resource for struggling veterans and a useful tool for their loved ones, or anyone looking for ways to support the veterans in their lives.
'Combat is one of lifes most significant traumatic events.' And in a manual that is both thorough and tender, the authors provide a splendid service to veterans, their families, and the mental health
professionals who compassionately care for them. Recommendations and resources pertaining to anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, anger management, suicide prevention, and drug abuse fill the book. An extensive presentation on posttraumatic stress disorder includes symptoms and various treatments of the problem. The discussion of traumatic brain injuryconsidered the 'signature wound' of the current war on terroris adeptly handled. A stellar section on grieving reminds us that 'grief has its own time line' and comes in many forms: normal, pathological, acute traumatic, and complicated. Ways to aid bereaved military children are offered. A chapter on homelessness highlights a very sad situation: every night an estimated 67,000 veterans in America are homeless. The stigma surrounding mental health issues contributes to the silent suffering of veterans returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some feel shamed by their vulnerability; others feel guilt and blame themselves. This guide makes it clear that every veteran 'deserves to get better,' and highlights the various kinds of help available to military personnel.
Mental health help for vets is abundant, but finding the right resource in a time of crisis can be tricky. Therapist Lawhorne-Scott and journalist Philpott (the duo behind the forthcoming Wounded
Warrior Handbook) abet that search for soldiers and their families in a unique reference that pulls together information on treatment and support for a range of post service psychological problems, from traumatic brain injury to substance abuse, anxiety, and sexual trauma. The authors present a particularly packed section on the treatment options for post-traumatic stress disorder, including types of counseling, recent medical findings, and an exhaustiveand somewhat dense and technicallook at anger management, an issue affecting soldiers with PTSD at a higher rate than those without. The manual also includes a detailed guide for families to hold meetings designed to help each memberas well as the vetand a plan for families to face the changes and expectations that arise with a returning soldier. Given the tens of thousands of soldiers coming home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan each month (a third of them with or likely to develop mental health problems), Lawhorne-Scott and Philpotts guide is particularly timely.
Cheryl Lawhorne-Scott is a clinical therapist with an eighteen-year track record of counseling services specializing in trauma care, posttraumatic stress, and traumatic brain-injury treatment for wounded, ill, and injured service members and their families. As a senior consultant, under the Office of the Secretary of Defense, she is part of a team that seeks innovative and proactive ways to enhance resources and services to military members and their families. She recently participated in the corporate mission, vision, and implementation of projects for the Department of Defense to align current and future strategic plans and objectives. She possesses proven expertise in both program management and clinical experts in research, business development, and wounded care. Proud spouse and teammate to Lt. Col. Jeff Scott, and mom to Evan and Quinn..
Don Philpott is editor of International Homeland Security Journal and has been writing, reporting, and broadcasting on international events, trouble spots, and major news stories for almost forty years. For twenty years he was a senior correspondent with Press Association-Reuters, the wire service, and traveled the world on assignments including Northern Ireland, Lebanon, Israel, South Africa, and Asia.
He writes for magazines and newspapers in the United States and Europe and is a regular contributor to radio and television programs on security and other issues. He is the author of more than 120 books on a wide range of subjects and has had more than five thousand articles printed in publications around the world. His recent books include the Military Life series, TerrorIs America Safe, Workplace Violence Prevention, and the Education Facility Security Handbook.