The Veteran S Guide To Psychiatry

The Veterans Administration continues to play a central role in providing mental health services, but everyone in the field can do a better job helping those who've served our country. Deborah Y. Liggan, MD-who has succeeded in both civilian and Air Force military service-explores the spectrum of mental health illnesses that affect veterans and how each disorder impacts their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Topics focus specifically on veterans and include psychiatric interviewing, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, disorders of cognition, recovery from mental illness, and psychiatric emergencies. With clear and concise language, the guide explores how to respond to complaints such as depression, suicide, and psychotic thought processes. At the conclusion of each chapter are ten study questions of self-examination for review. The Veteran's Guide to Psychiatry is the definitive guide for psychiatrist residents, psychologists, psychiatric social workers, and anyone involved in diagnosing and treating emotional illnesses.

The Veterans Administration continues to play a central role in providing mental health services, but everyone in the field can do a better job helping those who’ve served our country. Deborah Y. Liggan, MD—who has succeeded in both civilian and Air Force military service—explores the spectrum of mental health illnesses that affect veterans and how each disorder impacts their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Topics focus specifically on veterans and include psychiatric interviewing, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, disorders of cognition, recovery from mental illness, and psychiatric emergencies. With clear and concise language, the guide explores how to respond to complaints such as depression, suicide, and psychotic thought processes. At the conclusion of each chapter are ten study questions of self-examination for review. The Veteran’s Guide to Psychiatry is the definitive guide for psychiatrist residents, psychologists, psychiatric social workers, and anyone involved in diagnosing and treating emotional illnesses.

This authoritative and comprehensive title is designed to enhance best clinical practices for all healthcare providers who care for military service personnel and veterans. The book is organized into four sections. The first section covers foundational information on the culture and context of health care for members of the US military and veteran population. The second section focuses on systems of care for mental health needs of military and veteran populations. The third section characterizes best practices as well as ethical issues in clinical care for mental health needs of members of the military and veterans. Guidance in relation to a wide range of clinical topics is provided, such as mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, combat and operational stress, military sexual assault, psychosis, and sleep disorders. The last section is intended to assist readers in reinforcing their learning through a set of clinical cases with accompanying questions for deeper consideration. An invaluable resource for all clinicians, allied health personnel, and administrators concerned with the mental health needs of service members and veterans, Military and Veteran Mental Health: A Comprehensive Guide is a gold-standard addition to the literature on military healthcare.

The United States is in the midst of the largest military demobilization in its history. This is leading to an increase in the demand for mental health clinicians who can provide services to hundreds of thousands of military veterans and members of the military. Nearly two million Americans have been deployed to the wars in the Middle East, and thousands of them have been deeply affected, either psychologically, physically, or both. Projections suggest that 300,000 are returning with symptoms of PTSD or major Depression; 320,000 have been exposed to probable Traumatic Brain Injuries; and hundreds of thousands are dealing with psychological effects of physical injuries. Other veterans and members of the military without injuries will seek treatment to help them with the psychological impact of serving in the military, being deployed, or transitioning and reintegrating back into the civilian world. As an example, hundreds of thousands of service members are also leaving the armed forces earlier than they anticipated and will need to quickly adjust to life as civilians after assuming that they would have many more years in the military. Many will be leaving the military because of demobilizations and downsizing due to budget cuts. Current proposed cuts will shrink the military force to the same size it was in 1940. The Pew Center reports that 44% of veterans from the current wars are describing their readjustment to civilian life as "difficult," and many of them are and will be turning to civilian mental health and primary care clinicians for assistance. The Handbook of Psychosocial Interventions for Veterans and Service Members is a "one stop" handbook for non-military clinicians working with service members, veterans, and their families. It brings together experts from the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, veteran service organizations, and academia to create the first comprehensive guidebook for civilian clinicians. In addition to covering psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD, this book also offers information about psychosocial topics that impact military personnel and their loved ones and can become part of treatment (e.g., employment or education options, financial matters, and parenting concerns), providing the most recent and cutting-edge research on the topics. Chapters are concise and practical, delivering the key information necessary to orient clinicians to the special needs of veterans and their families. The Handbook of Psychosocial Interventions for Veterans and Service Members is an essential resource for private practice mental health clinicians and primary care physicians, as well as a useful adjunct for VA and DOD psychologists and staff.

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 issue’s 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 nation’s 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.

Clinician's Guide to Treating Stress After War: Education and Coping Interventions for Veterans outlines clear strategies that mental health professionals can use to help war returnees become better able to negotiate common problems that diminish the quality of their day-to-day life. A powerful and practical resource, this guide assists professionals to increase each individual's sense of control over his or her life.