Mental Health for the 'Veteran Community' is something to not take lightly: because there are more 'Veterans who are suffering with some type of mental health illnesses & disorders than ever before. Many of the reasons for the increase of mental health demands for having more mental health programs available for the 'Veteran Community: it is because of many of the "Warriors" coming back from serving abroad in combat-zones of those who are impacted the most from their experience of the exposure of being deployed to 'Wars' in a combat-zone in which the United States of America has been sending Warriors to be exposed to the elements of modern warfare for almost 2 decades.

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(Veteran Mental Health and Substance Abuse. The National Institute of Drug Abuse reports that substance abuse among veterans is strongly related to their exposure to combat. One study by the organization showed that 25 percent of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans showed signs of substance abuse disorder. 25 Mar 2016 (Google.com)

Veteran Mental Health - Facts and Stats that need to be Addressed

 

https://nvf.org/veteran-mental-health-facts-statistics/)

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With the fighting of warfare that seems to have no ending in sight due to the calamity around the world with major turmoil with failing foreign policies coming out of the U.S. government, and even abroad: in which who are impacted the most are the Warriors, their families, the tax payers around the world.

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Also, with the residual affects with being a Warrior is that many are suffering from mental illnesses/ disorders, such as: P.T.S.D. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Anxiety Disorders, Drug Addictions, Suicidal Tendency, and among other mental health related illnesses/ disorders that are an underline factor behind what many Warrior's faces while serving in the military or even after being discharged.

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There are medical conditions that are making even more challenging with Warriors who are suffering from physical injuries that will exacerbate the injuries and be compounded with mental health illnesses/ disorders, such as: T.B.I. (Traumatic Brain Injuries). 

 

Furthermore, there are various mental health programs & clinics that the Dept. of the VA can offer but not all veterans are eligible, due to how the Dept. of the VA is Federally mandated by accordance to the guidelines that come from Congress in Washington, DC (Capital Hill) of how veterans qualify or treated while under the care of the Dept. of the VA., and because of the factor of how not all veterans who served in the military are giving the same benefits of receiving the same care, and it is case by case but overall experience with veterans do seem at many times cause veterans to slip through the cracks or be lost in the shuffle with the dealings of bureaucracy & red tape of what seems to be a failing broken government system.

 

Lastly, on point with why this subpage has been created is a prime example that why this subpage is important of helping with the efforts of advocating & educating the veteran community & the public about the need for change coming out of the Dept. of the VA by informing the veteran community & the public that there are other wealth of resources that are available outside of the Dept. of the VA: we are networking to get veterans & the public linked with opportunities of engaging with being proactive with advocating & educating about the 'Stigma' of mental illnesses that needs to be combated and not tolerated, and to get linked with other mental health entities, such as Non-profits or Organizations.  Down below we will have buttons with links that we believe should help with getting linked with mental health aspects for helping with the efforts of at least know about other options of opportunities to network or have contact with outside mental health programs & organizations partnered or not partnered with the Dept. of the VA. 

 

Now, keep in mind that the Dept. of the VA has in the past and still is helping the veteran community with their mental health programs but there needs to be so much more that needs to happen to make sure all veterans are able to have access to mental programs or clinics at the Dept. of the VA & even in the public sectors for the goal that veterans are given hope in knowing that the reality of living with mental health illnesses or disorders is not the end but the beginning of being able to press on and to be able to move forward with coping, functioning, and to have hope in living a quality life.

 

It is a fact that serving in the military has changed the lives of many who have served in the military, and the exposure of serving in the military with all the good & bad will not just define or label the Warrior as being worthless or damaged goods as what many Warriors feel as if it does define them as but with the right approach of getting linked with mental health programs will help with guiding the Warrior seeking help with their mental health aspect of their recover by equipping the Warrior with the resources & tools to not give up but to have hope in knowing that with  mental health or medical disabilities there are strengths that can develop while recovering & healing from serving in the military of all aspects of serving in the military as a Warrior for the U.S. or abroad in other countries as Warriors who have served for their country.

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Note:  Warrior Tim is a 'Service Connected Disabled Combat Veteran' in which he suffers with mental health illnesses/ disorders (P.T.S.D./Anxiety Disorder/ Personality Disorder/ Mild-TBI/ Etc.), and among other service connected or non-service connected medical conditions for over a decade & Warrior Tim has been through so many mental health programs & clinics within the Dept. of the VA or outside of the Dept. of the VA that were successful or not so successful experiences because of many factors, and one being that it all depending on who were facilitating the programs & clinics & of how receptive or willing Warrior Tim was getting the help he needed for his mental health related treatment. 

 

Furthermore, Yes, Warrior Tim use to be on a whole bunch of psychotropic medications but time has proved that for Warrior Tim was no longer beneficial to be a consumer of the psychotropic medications because the medications were doing more harm then good.  Furthermore, Warrior Tim believes that medication isn't always the answer but could for some who are consumers of psychotropic medications can cause more complications mentally, emotionally, and even physically: that is why Warrior Tim truly believes that being grounded in a spiritual path of recovery, and with the tools that have learned through the programs he went through at the Dept. of the VA & outside of the VA has been so beneficial with being able to live a healthier/ more fulfilling life that has made it to where Warrior Tim can have a family, and focus on other things that seem to be therapeutic.

 

Lastly, even with knowing that Warrior Tim could revert back to the days of being confined to a hospital bed or a jail cell or be on the streets because of not being able to function or manage a life with mental health illnesses/ disorders that at one point made it impossible to have hope or if his life could be different from what use to be a 'A World of Dark Bleakness', but with time Warrior Tim has been able to press on to live another day so he can fight for another day with having hope & with being able to have a manageable life with knowing that life is only temporal and life can change in a blink of an eye. 

 

Warrior Tim & other disabled Warriors are examples that with disabilities isn't the end but a new beginning for more bad times and more good times but with not fighting against the disabilities but to cope and learn how to work on working with knowing how live with disabilities by taking one day at a time by knowing life is a journey with some days having more obstacles then the day before but knowing that instead of fearing the obstacles learn how to deal or overcome them through having a good support system & through trials and errors of finding out the hard way or the easy way of what works or doesn't work with taking the 'Bulls By It's Horns' each day with putting the 'Spiritual' approach as being the foundation to build upon where each step is made or fixed until you reach the top of being an overcomer or until you reach a point of where life becomes more willing to live for, instead of ending it.

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#DarknessOfBleaknessCanTurnIntoLightOfHope

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