A veteran is a former member of the United States Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) who served on active duty and discharged under honorable conditions. According to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, there are over 21 million veterans in the United States. Over 3.8 million veterans live with a service-connected disability because of a disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service.
Unfortunately, many of our veterans with service-connected disabilities such as mental health challenges, substance use disorders, chronic medical conditions, and chronic pain do not receive the medical assistance services they need to help them heal. As a result of not receiving the medical assistance services they deserve, many veterans develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for
PTSD, PTSD is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault. Although it is normal to have upsetting memories, feel on edge, or have trouble sleeping after witnessing these types of events, if symptoms last more than a few months, it may be PTSD.
The Veterans Administration recommends two types of PTSD treatment plans:
Trauma-Focused Psychotherapies - are the most highly recommended type of treatment for PTSD. "Trauma-focused" means that the treatment focuses on the memory of the traumatic event or its meaning. These treatments use different techniques to help you process your traumatic experience. Some involve visualizing, talking, or thinking about the traumatic memory. Others focus on changing unhelpful beliefs about the trauma. They usually last about 8-16 sessions.
Medication - Medications proven helpful in treating PTSD symptoms are some of the same medications also used for symptoms of depression and anxiety. These are antidepressant medications called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors). SSRIs and SNRIs affect the level of naturally occurring chemicals in the brain called serotonin and/or norepinephrine. These chemicals play a role in brain cell communication and affect how you feel.
Despite recommending trauma-focused psychotherapies and medication as effective
PTSD treatment options, when veterans living with PTSD seek medical assistance from the Veterans Administration (VA), medical appointments are not available for months.
According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans are 1.5 times more likely to commit suicide. An average of 20 veterans die from suicide every single day according to the most recent report in 2016.
Specific findings from the VA National Suicide Report (2005-2016) Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention published in September 2018 are below:
there were more than 6,000 veteran suicides each year from 2008 to 2016
the suicide rate was 1.5 times greater for veterans than for non-veteran adults
the suicide rate for veterans ages 18-34 increased is 45 per 100,000 in 2016
58.1 percent of veteran suicides were among veterans age 55 and older in 2016
69.4 percent of veteran suicides resulted from a firearm injury
The lack of arts programs for veterans
Although trauma-focused psychotherapies and medication help the veterans who are fortunate enough to receive medical and psychological services from the Veterans Administration before the level of despair leads to suicide, other treatment options must be considered to help veterans live happy and productive lives.
Despite the extensive research results that show the benefits of the arts (especially music), veterans do not have the opportunity to enjoy the psychological, health, memory retention, and stress reduction benefits of arts therapy that includes exposure to music. It is surprising that we, as a society, do VERY LITTLE to expose veterans to the benefits of arts and music. The fact that the two types of PTSD treatment plans recommended by the Veterans Administration do not mention music therapy as a treatment option is evidence that the benefits of exposing veterans to music hasn't been fully acknowledged.
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