Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/375565
t m c » p u l s e | s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4 10 The Battle Within: America's Veterans Work to Heal the Invisible Wounds of War B y A l e x O r l a n d o show that you're okay, when really you're not." Over 200,000 military veterans live and work in Houston and Harris County, making it home to one of the largest populations of military service members and families in the nation. Against the backdrop of this popula- tion, addressing the behavioral health needs of returning veterans in our own backyard is essential. According to a 2009 study from the RAND Corporation, one in five veterans returning from deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan meet the criteria for depression or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet only half of them have received mental health care. "We're discovering that so many veterans are being diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries because this war is unconventional, and the amount of IEDs [improvised explosive devices] that we're exposed to and the amount of fire that we're exposed to really affects our brains and the way that we think cognitively," explained Tony Solomon, director of the Veterans Behavioral Health Initiative for Mental Health America of Greater Houston (MHA). "Often times, it doesn't manifest itself until three to five years afterwards, so a lot of these diagnoses for traumatic brain injury and PTSD may come at a later period in time, when these veter- ans may be in school or at work. Soon, they're able to discover that they might have not only some mental health issues, but cognitive and functional issues, as well." Compounding the issue, families of service members frequently do not have adequate community support. Ninety-four percent of military families feel that the non-military community doesn't have the capacity to understand or appreciate the sacrifices that they make, based on a survey conducted by Blue Star Families, the largest chap- ter-based military families support organization in the country. For Bryan Seymour, who served in the Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007, that expe- riential divide between perspectives I n the wake of the United States' longest combat operations since Vietnam, many service members return home with invisible—but no less devastating—battle scars. Research demonstrates that veterans deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan may experience mental and behavioral health needs that compromise their successful return to their families and their communities. "As service members, we're pro- grammed to accept everything that's given to us and not really ask for help, even when we need it," said Staff Sgt. Jamie Meza, a National Guardsman who was deployed to Iraq for 14 months from 2006 to 2007. "It took me a while to accept that I needed help and to recognize my own pride, because when you come back from deployment you really feel like you're under a micro- scope—everyone wants to be around you because they missed you, but you also get the sense that they want to see if you're visibly different. It's very easy to put on this mask and let your exterior As service members, we're programmed to accept everything that's given to us and not really ask for help, even when we need it. it's very easy to put on this mask and let your exterior show that you're okay, when really you're not. — StAFF SGt. JAmie mezA national Guardsman