Invisible wounds of war summary and recommendations for addressing psychological and cognitive injuries
service men and women, their families, and the concerned public. All the research products from this study are available at http://veterans.rand.org
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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Santa Monica, CA
RAND
2008, 2008©2008
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| Series: | Monograph (Rand Corporation)
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| Collection: | JSTOR Open Access Books - Collection details see MPG.ReNa |
| Summary: | service men and women, their families, and the concerned public. All the research products from this study are available at http://veterans.rand.org Since October 2001, approximately 1.64 million U.S. troops have been deployed for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) in Afghanistan and Iraq. Early evidence suggests that the psychological toll of these deployments -- many involving prolonged exposure to combat-related stress over multiple rotations -- may be disproportionately high compared with the physical injuries of combat. Concerns have been most recently centered on two combat-related injuries in particular: post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. With the increasing concern about the incidence of suicide and suicide attempts among returning veterans, concern about depression is also on the rise. The study discussed in this monograph focuses on post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, and traumatic brain injury, not only because of current high-level policy interest but also because, unlike the physical wounds of war, these conditions are often invisible to the eye, remaining invisible to other servicemembers, family members, and society in general. All three conditions affect mood, thoughts, and behavior; yet, these wounds often go unrecognized and unacknowledged. The effect of traumatic brain injury is still poorly understood, leaving a large gap in knowledge related to how extensive the problem is or how to address it. This monograph summarizes key findings and recommendations from a larger RAND document entitled Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery (Tanielian and Jaycox [Eds.], Santa Monica, Calif.: MG-720-CCF, 2008), a comprehensive study RAND conducted of the post-deployment health-related needs associated with the three conditions among OEF/OIF veterans; the health care system in place to meet those needs; gaps in the care system; and the costs of filling those gaps and providing quality health care to all those in need. Readers desiring more details are referred to that document. Both monographs should be of interest to mental health treatment providers; health policymakers, particularly those charged with caring for our nation's veterans; and U.S. |
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| Item Description: | "MG (Rand Corporation).". - "Center for Military Health Policy Research.". - "MG-720/1-CCF.". - "Sponsored by the California Community Foundation.". - Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002 |
| Physical Description: | xi, 52 pages illustrations |
| ISBN: | 0833044532 9780833044532 |