For the last fifteen years there has been an increasing need to mental health service among combat veterans from all branches of the military. This is due to deployments for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) which have related combat stressors and potentially traumatic events. These combat stressors such as killing an enemy, incoming fire, and seeing human remains have led to mental health problems such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), in fact roughly 30% of returning soldiers report having mental health problems ( (Kim, Britt, Klocko, Riviere, & Adler, 2011).
Even though thirty percent of soldiers reported having mental health issues only 23-40% of that population actually reported that they sought …show more content…
The first type of problem is no utilization whatsoever of mental health services. Due to the complex nature of the MHS and the stigma created, without a peer navigator to overcome these barriers, soldiers are not accessing mental health services. It has been found that when there is someone the soldier trusts and can relate to on a personal level, they are more receptive to the idea of seeking mental health treatment (Pfeiffer, et al., 2012). In fact roughly 60% of soldiers with mental health troubles are not seeking treatment in any form (Kim, Britt, Klocko, Riviere, & Adler, …show more content…
However, there is a third problem that arises and that is the mis-utilization of mental health services. It was found that soldiers were using the Emergency Room as a source of treatment when their problems were better suited to be addressed in the mental health setting (Kim, Britt, Klocko, Riviere, & Adler, 2011). In-patient care was also not properly utilized for given circumstances. Research has shown that in-patient services were greatly reduced when a peer navigator was used (Chinman, Shoai, & Cohen, 2010). It has become apparent that the lack of a peer navigator has negative impacts on the utilization of mental health care, it is now important to discuss who is best equipped to address this issue.
The most logical way to fix the lack of peer navigators affecting mental health access is to increase the number of qualified individuals that our hired. The hiring and management of MHS personnel is done within the Office of Human Resource Management. Human Resource Managers (HRM) are responsible for assessing areas within the VA that
Even though thirty percent of soldiers reported having mental health issues only 23-40% of that population actually reported that they sought …show more content…
The first type of problem is no utilization whatsoever of mental health services. Due to the complex nature of the MHS and the stigma created, without a peer navigator to overcome these barriers, soldiers are not accessing mental health services. It has been found that when there is someone the soldier trusts and can relate to on a personal level, they are more receptive to the idea of seeking mental health treatment (Pfeiffer, et al., 2012). In fact roughly 60% of soldiers with mental health troubles are not seeking treatment in any form (Kim, Britt, Klocko, Riviere, & Adler, …show more content…
However, there is a third problem that arises and that is the mis-utilization of mental health services. It was found that soldiers were using the Emergency Room as a source of treatment when their problems were better suited to be addressed in the mental health setting (Kim, Britt, Klocko, Riviere, & Adler, 2011). In-patient care was also not properly utilized for given circumstances. Research has shown that in-patient services were greatly reduced when a peer navigator was used (Chinman, Shoai, & Cohen, 2010). It has become apparent that the lack of a peer navigator has negative impacts on the utilization of mental health care, it is now important to discuss who is best equipped to address this issue.
The most logical way to fix the lack of peer navigators affecting mental health access is to increase the number of qualified individuals that our hired. The hiring and management of MHS personnel is done within the Office of Human Resource Management. Human Resource Managers (HRM) are responsible for assessing areas within the VA that