Evidence-Based Mental Health

during active duty) are rated on a scale from zero to one hundred percent, and the score these injuries/conditions receive determine the services, resources, and/or benefits one is awarded.
Access to Care It is important to understand that all veterans do not have the same ability to re-integrate into civilian life; some succeed while many slip through the cracks. That is why one cannot generalize/categorize the veteran population and put individuals into boxes; one must take this matter case by case. The veterans who are able to assimilate into civilian life will most likely receive mental health care through the benefits package they receive through their employer-based health plans (Burnam et. al, 2009). Some veterans prefer to use
The training of mental health professionals does not significantly emphasize evidence-based treatments or quality improvement (QI) approaches to practice (Burnam et. al, 2009). Training and experience specific to combat-related mental health problems, and understanding the military culture and experience are rare amongst community-based practitioners. Given this knowledge, one can now empathize with veterans who face challenges in locating providers who use best practices to treat depression and PTSD. Since some practitioners lack the training of evidence-based guidelines and core competencies, the DoD and VHA have begun developing and implementing programs to train in this lack of
The QI system support is most apparent within the VHA, which developed an infrastructure to manage quality using a system- wide performance measurement based on administrative data and patient satisfaction data. The VHA has also undertaken the Mental Health Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (MH-QUERI), which supports ongoing QI programs to improve outcomes for patients and improve the delivery of clinical services for mental health (Burnam et. al, 2009). Studies of QI efforts have found that patient care in the VHA is better, relative to community-based care.
Conclusion and Recommendations Currently underway, there are numerous efforts to identify and treat PTSD and depression among veterans. The funding of the DoD and VHA as well to the inception of the DCoE for Psychological health and TBI are classic examples to why we need to provide service members and veterans with resources/benefits. Many challenges still remain as some swift changes in improvements on research, staff, training, and programs have occurred. Recent research has suggested that the prevalence of PTSD and depression is high and may continue to rise as current conflicts continue (Burnam et. al, 2009) . If left untreated or undertreated, these problems could