• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

US Military

  • Branches
    • Army
    • Navy
    • Air Force
    • Marine Corps
    • Coast Guard
    • National Guard
    • Air National Guard
    • Find A Recruiter
  • Find A Recruiter
  • Military Benefits
    • GI Bill
    • VA Loans
    • Military Scholarships
    • Military Friendly Colleges
    • Money
  • Jobs
    • Military Pay Chart
    • Veteran Jobs
    • Civilian Jobs
  • VA Loan Rates
  • Military News
    • Top News
    • Benefits
    • Careers
    • Education
    • Featured Columnists
      • Larry Fowler
      • Scott Ostrow
      • Kim Lengling
      • Dr. Sasha Toperich
      • Rick Stewart
  • GI Bill
  • VA Loans
  • Military Scholarships
  • Top Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities in America

Army Health Officer: DOD, VA Collaboration Needed on Mental Health Metrics

September 24, 2014 By admin

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 24, 2014) – The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs can collaborate to find metrics in mental health to better serve veterans, according to an Army health officer.

“Psychological health and resiliency are two distinct things,” Col. David Benedek said at a health summit, Friday, in Falls Church, Virginia.

Benedek, the associate director, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University’s Department of Psychiatry, was a panelist at an event hosted by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.

“We got some work to do,” he said.

There are tools in preparing for war, and there are tools needed for preparing for life after the military, Benedek said.

The inter-agency collaboration is needed because once a member leaves the DOD, “that’s when the VA takes over,” he said.

The DOD and VA can look at metrics for veterans on “doing well in life after military life.”

Areas of examination include what VA benefits, such as for education, health and in other areas, a veteran is using, and whether the veteran is helping his or her family utilize benefits.

“These are I think metrics of resilience because how one functions in one’s role as a family member and a parent, that’s the stuff of readiness for the mission after the next conflict,” Benedek said.

“The No. 1 most important thing to prevent or portending to a good prognosis in mental health is social connectivity, being able to connect to other people, so measuring where you are at on that makes good sense to me,” he said.

The VA and the DOD are increasingly working together in research in the areas of mental health and treatment for illnesses sustained during one’s service, he said.

“We can still work on better treatments for the illnesses that make up psych health disorders, mental health disorders,” said Benedek. “We need new treatments for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). We know combat-related PTSD is different than motor vehicle and single-incident sexual assault PTSD.”

Screening people is “helpful,” he said, in finding mental health illnesses.

“We have mechanisms for taking a look at people coming back from war, from conflict, and determining whether or not they meet the criteria for illnesses for which we have treatment,” he said.

“There is evidence-based treatment for PTSD; there is evidence-based treatment and we’ve done a good job I think of helping clinicians treat the mental health disorders,” he continued.

There is always room for advancements, he noted.

The Army takes “inventory” each year on how it’s doing to help point “us in the direction of things that we can work on,” he said.

Filed Under: Army, daniel articles, Top News

Recent Posts

  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army
  • Top 5  Military Home Loans for Active Duty Service Members
VA Loans

Primary Sidebar

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE

USMilitary.com is a privately owned website and is NOT AFFILIATED (or endorsed) with the U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, or DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

USMilitary.com Career Guide

Sign up to receive USMilitary.com email updates and to hear what's going on with all military branches!

Featured Columnists

Larry Fowler

Larry Fowler is the publisher of USMilitary.com Network one of America's premier privately owned

Autobiography Compares Living Faithfully With Navy SEAL Training (BUD/S).

Scott Ostrow

Lt Col (Dr.) Scott A. Ostrow retired from the Air Force in September 2005 and has been teaching

Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today

Kim Lengling

Kim Lengling is a Air Force Veteran whose passion is to help support veterans and their

This Memorial Day: The Knock On The Door

Dr. Sasha Toperich

Dr. Sasha Toperich is the Senior Executive Vice President at Transatlantic Leadership

Sarraj’s Dangerous Dance With Power

Rick Stewart

Rick Stewart is a former United States Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE)

Announcing American Patriots Unsung Magazine

Nathan B. Nelson

Capt (ret) Nathan B. Nelson is the Director of Military Affairs for the 1st Congressional district

Three Critical Considerations for Every Veteran Prior to Leaving Active Duty

Laquan Daniels

Laquan Daniel is a military recruiting expert with over 17 years of specialized experience in the

Important News For Military Transitioning Veterans

Veteran Buzz

High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

5 High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

July 2, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

High Paying Jobs Not Requiring a Degree

June 28, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

7 Best Military Careers That Lead To High Paying Civilian Jobs

June 10, 2018 By larryf

VA Loans

Footer

  • Advertise With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Write For US
  • Link to Us

Recent

  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army
  • Top 5  Military Home Loans for Active Duty Service Members

Search

© Copyright 2022 USMillitary
Web Design by Goebel Media Group


THIS IS A PRIVATE WEBSITE THAT IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, OR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE NOT REVIEWED THIS INFORMATION. THIS SITE IS NOT CONNECTED WITH ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY.