Format: Webinar, original date April 25, 2019
Hosted by: Infopeople, as part of the California State
Library Mental Health Initiative webinar series, Where Compassion Meets
Action
Length: 1 hour
Veterans may experience a wide range of mental health conditions after their military service. Statistics show that 37% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who receive health care from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) had a mental health diagnosis, with PTSD being the most common. The VHA reports that veterans are committing suicide at alarming rates: 22 veterans die by suicide every day. Although engaging in VHA mental health treatment has been linked to lower rates of suicide, utilization of mental health services is low. In 2010, only 28% of urban veterans and 22% of rural veterans participated in psychotherapy. Stigma around mental health is often cited as a barrier to seeking support and mental health treatment.
In this webinar, presenter Laura Wiedeman, a clinical psychologist at the VA Northern California Health Care System, discusses common mental health struggles that veterans may endure and various ways to provide support. Learn how to help reduce stigma around veteran mental health and become aware of the resources available to veterans in their recovery.
Presented by: Laura Wiedeman
