Skip to main content
Top
Published in: Community Mental Health Journal 7/2019

01-10-2019 | Adjustment Disorder | Original Article

Changing Rates of Mental Health Disorders Among Veterans Treated in the VHA During Troop Drawdown, 2007–2013

Authors: Marcia G. Hunt, Gary S. Cuddeback, Elizabeth Bromley, Daniel W. Bradford, Rani A. Hoff

Published in: Community Mental Health Journal | Issue 7/2019

Login to get access

Abstract

Nationally representative data on mental health disorder prevalence are critical to set informed mental health priorities and policies. Data indicating mental health diagnoses within our nation’s veteran population treated at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) are available, but have yet to be examined for changing trends to inform both VHA and community care. We use VHA national program evaluation data from a time of increasing military enrollment (2007) to troop draw down (2013) to examine changes over time in the number of diagnoses in veterans receiving VHA services. The number of veterans in all diagnostic categories increased during our study period with the smallest increase in psychotic disorders (8%) and the largest in posttraumatic stress disorder (71%). Trends in behavioral health diagnoses among veterans have important implications for policy and clinician competencies within VHA and community providers as veteran mental health care needs change.
Literature
go back to reference Hwang, S., & Henderson, M. J. (2010). Health care utilization in homeless people: Translating research into policy and practice. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Working Paper (10002). Hwang, S., & Henderson, M. J. (2010). Health care utilization in homeless people: Translating research into policy and practice. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Working Paper (10002).
go back to reference Hynes, D. M., Koelling, K., Stroupe, K., Arnold, N., Mallin, K., Sohn, M.-W., et al. (2007). Veterans’ access to and use of Medicare and Veterans Affairs Health Care. Medical Care, 45(3), 214–223.CrossRefPubMed Hynes, D. M., Koelling, K., Stroupe, K., Arnold, N., Mallin, K., Sohn, M.-W., et al. (2007). Veterans’ access to and use of Medicare and Veterans Affairs Health Care. Medical Care, 45(3), 214–223.CrossRefPubMed
go back to reference Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P., Delmer, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005a). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 593–602.CrossRefPubMed Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P., Delmer, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005a). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 593–602.CrossRefPubMed
go back to reference Kessler, R. C., Birnbaum, H., Demler, O., Falloon, I. R. H., Gagnon, E., Guyer, M., et al. (2005b). The prevalence and correlates of non-affective psychosis in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Biological Psychiatry, 58(8), 668–676.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral Kessler, R. C., Birnbaum, H., Demler, O., Falloon, I. R. H., Gagnon, E., Guyer, M., et al. (2005b). The prevalence and correlates of non-affective psychosis in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Biological Psychiatry, 58(8), 668–676.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
go back to reference Kessler, R. C., Chiu, W. T., Demler, O., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005c). Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 617–627.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral Kessler, R. C., Chiu, W. T., Demler, O., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005c). Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 617–627.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
go back to reference Merikangas, K. R., Akiskal, H. S., Angst, J., Greenberg, P. E., Hirschfeld, R. M., Petukhova, M., et al. (2007). Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64(5), 543–552.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral Merikangas, K. R., Akiskal, H. S., Angst, J., Greenberg, P. E., Hirschfeld, R. M., Petukhova, M., et al. (2007). Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64(5), 543–552.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
go back to reference Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2012). Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings, NSDUH Series H-42, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4667. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2012). Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings, NSDUH Series H-42, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4667. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
go back to reference Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2013). Results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings, NSDUH Series H-47, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4805. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2013). Results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings, NSDUH Series H-47, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4805. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
go back to reference Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. The NSDUH Report: Substance Use and Mental Health Estimates from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Overview of Findings. Rockville, MD. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. The NSDUH Report: Substance Use and Mental Health Estimates from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Overview of Findings. Rockville, MD.
Metadata
Title
Changing Rates of Mental Health Disorders Among Veterans Treated in the VHA During Troop Drawdown, 2007–2013
Authors
Marcia G. Hunt
Gary S. Cuddeback
Elizabeth Bromley
Daniel W. Bradford
Rani A. Hoff
Publication date
01-10-2019
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Community Mental Health Journal / Issue 7/2019
Print ISSN: 0010-3853
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2789
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00437-1

Other articles of this Issue 7/2019

Community Mental Health Journal 7/2019 Go to the issue