Veteran Mental Health and the Importance of Supportive Care
Supporting Veteran Mental Health Care
As Memorial Day approaches, it’s important to recognize that suicide among veterans remains a serious concern in the United States, with more than 6,000 deaths reported each year. Although awareness has increased, stigma surrounding mental health, particularly within military communities, continues to be a major barrier that keeps many veterans from seeking help.
Counseling can play a meaningful role in supporting veterans through these challenges. It can help individuals process trauma, adjust to life after military service, reduce suicide risk, and strengthen family relationships.
Military service can have long-term effects on mental health. Many veterans experience conditions such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans are approximately two to three times more likely to experience depression than civilians. PTSD is also more prevalent among veterans, affecting about 7–8% compared to roughly 6% of the general population, with even higher rates among those who have experienced combat exposure.
The encouraging news is that effective, evidence-based treatments are available. Approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) have all demonstrated strong outcomes in reducing symptoms and improving overall functioning.
EMDR supports healing by helping individuals revisit traumatic memories in a structured, guided way while using bilateral stimulation such as eye movements or tapping. Over time, this process can reduce the emotional intensity connected to those memories. CBT works by helping individuals identify and change unhelpful thought patterns that influence emotions and behaviors, leading to improved coping and functioning. CPT focuses on helping individuals examine and reframe beliefs that develop after trauma, which can significantly reduce PTSD symptoms and improve emotional recovery. Across these treatments, many veterans experience meaningful reductions in both PTSD and depression symptoms. Overall, recovery is absolutely possible. With appropriate support, many veterans are able to rebuild stability, restore relationships, and create fulfilling lives after their service.
At Lexington Counseling & Psychiatry, we provide these evidence-based treatment approaches along with a team of compassionate, well-trained, trauma-informed clinicians who offer both support and appropriate clinical challenges. We are committed to maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards, with privacy and confidentiality as top priorities. We also accept Humana Military/Tricare insurance to better serve the veterans in our community. To schedule an appointment, please call 859.338.0466. We offer services in Lexington, Frankfort, and Richmond, Kentucky, and have been a trusted mental health provider in Central Kentucky for 25 years!
REFERENCES:
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (n.d.). Depression. https://www.research.va.gov/topics/depression.cfm
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research & Development Service. (n.d.). Depression research topics. https://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/research_topics/depression.cfm
National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2022). Post-traumatic stress disorder. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572092/
Frontiers in Psychiatry. (2023).
Effectiveness of trauma-focused psychotherapies for posttraumatic stress disorder in veterans. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.10013222
