Care of Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families - Softcover

Stephen J. Cozza

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1585624241 ISBN 13: 9781585624249

Publisher: Amer Psychiatric Pub, 2014

Synopsis

Care of Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families serves a critical need, which has been highlighted by recent reported rates of combat-related stress disorders and traumatic brain injury, as well as increases in suicide rates among service members and veterans over the past decade and the distress and challenges faced by their children and families. More than 2.5 million Americans currently serve in the U.S. military on active duty, in the Reserves, or in the National Guard, and more than 20 million civilians are veterans. Although patients are viewed here in the context of military service, they seek health care in military, veteran, and civilian settings, and their mental health concerns are as diverse as those encountered in the civilian population. This book is designed for clinicians in all care settings and provides thorough coverage of U.S. military structures and cultures across the armed services, as well as detailed material on the particular mental health challenges faced by service members and their families. - A full overview of the military lifestyle is provided, including the life cycle of the military (recruitment to retirement), service subcultures (Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force, and Reserve and Guard components), challenges of military life for service members and families (moves, deployments, etc.), and military mental health. Material on military culture provides insight for practitioners who may not be familiar with this population.- The book focuses on collaborative care, particularly between the military health care system and the Veterans Administration, providing clinicians with strategies to mitigate stigma and other barriers to care through mental health service delivery in primary care settings.- The incidence of traumatic brain injury among service members has increased because of the use of improvised explosive devices, and an entire chapter is devoted to diagnosing and treating these injuries as well as educating patients and their families on the condition.- The families of service members face significant challenges, and several chapters are devoted to the needs of military children, the families of ill and injured service members and veterans, deployment-related care, and caring for the bereaved. The book's comprehensive review of resources available to military service members, veterans, and families both ensures high-quality care and reduces the workload for treating physicians. Care of Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families is an authoritative and much-needed addition to the mental health literature.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Care of Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families provides civilian medical and nonmedical care providers with practical information and guidelines to effectively understand, support, and address the needs of this important population. The editors, who are experts in treating patients from all service branches, provide an overview of what it means to be part of a military family as well as an inside look at the military and Veterans Administration health care systems. Promoting family resilience is a fundamental theme and one that is emphasized throughout chapters on traumatic brain injury, substance use disorders, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, illness, injury, and bereavement. The book offers many features useful to the clinician who is unfamiliar with military culture, and the frequent use of tables, figures, and summary points make information easily digestible for busy practitioners.

The burden that military families bear can be enormous, but there are programs and resources -- described in detail here -- that can help them restore, rebuild, and heal. Concise and compassionate, Care of Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families is a unique guide to helping service members and their families thrive.

About the Author

Stephen J. Cozza, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry and associate director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.Matthew N. Goldenberg, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.Robert J. Ursano, M.D., is director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.

Edition details

• Publisher: Amer Psychiatric Pub
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1585624241
• ISBN 13: 9781585624249
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 339
• Editor: Stephen J. Cozza, Matthew N. Goldenberg, Robert J. Ursano