‘Natural reactions to a very unnatural situation’: Here are some of the urgent issues facing post-9/11 veterans
Paid for by Wounded Warrior Project
The challenges many post-9/11 veterans face leaving the military don’t come to an end when they get home. Injuries, pain and trauma endured during military service tend to stay with veterans long after they’ve transitioned back to civilian life.
Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is a nonprofit veterans service organization that offers a wide selection of programs aimed at benefiting a warrior’s mental, physical and financial health. Through its peer mentorship network, adaptive sports programs, Warriors to Work program and more, WWP offers veterans and their families support at no cost to the veteran.
The release of the organization’s 2021 Annual Warrior Survey illustrates what tens of thousands of veterans are experiencing: Nearly one in four WWP warriors had suicidal thoughts in the past year; nearly all (98%) WWP warriors report exposure to hazardous or toxic substances during military service; and nearly half (42%) of the WWP warriors surveyed report not having money to make ends meet at some point in the past 12 months. And the Annual Warrior Survey’s Executive Summary shows stigma deters many vets from seeking the help they need to heal from service. It’s one of the greatest barriers to vets seeking and receiving mental health care.
Dr. Erin Fletcher is a clinical psychologist and the director of Wounded Warrior Project’s Warrior Care Network (a partnership with four renowned academic medical centers providing intensive outpatient programs for veterans). She knows the stigma veterans face in seeking help, and how many have the idea that seeking help, particularly mental health, is a sign of weakness.
“These are soldiers. These are airmen. These are highly skilled Marines. They know how to solve problems, and they can do it with two sticks and a shoelace,” Fletcher says. “They can survive. This is what they've been trained to do: solve problems. To pull themselves up, keep moving forward and complete the mission.”
Fletcher says this is why the feeling of not being able to fix something on their own feels foreign to so many people who have served, and ties into thoughts of one feeling less than or not strong enough. It can take a long time before a veteran seeks help, partly because vets need to reach that realization independently, and partly because it takes courage to ask for help — even after you decide that you need it.
Anthony Villareal is a Wounded Warrior Project alumnus who knows all too well how hard it can be to ask for help. "By the time I had discharged [from the hospital], we had lost about 15 guys [from my unit] to suicide,” he says. “And those were all guys that I served with, that I knew personally, that I talked to every day. They felt that they couldn't reach out, even to me. They didn't want to seem like a burden. That kind of helped me say, ‘Hey, I can get my story out there and hopefully help these veterans.’”
How physical and mental health struggles overlap for injured veterans
An overwhelming majority of survey respondents have confirmed they struggle with both physical and mental health, such as chronic pain and depression (respectively). But the two are tied closely together, and often veterans can experience one symptom that affects both their physical and mental health, such as sleep problems; 78% of survey respondents self-report experiencing sleep issues as a result of their service, and 90% screened as having poor sleep quality.
When you're not feeling well emotionally, usually your physical health is suffering.”Dr. Erin Fletcher
“When you're not feeling well emotionally, usually your physical health is suffering,” Fletcher explains. “You're not exercising. You're eating like garbage. You're not sleeping well, and vice versa.” Wounded Warrior Project has comprehensive and holistic programs to help veterans where they're at on their healing journey. Whether someone is eager to join a group bike-ride event, enter an intensive outpatient program or just talk to a benefits counselor, Wounded Warrior Project staff and alumni are committed to finding the right help for every post-9/11 veteran who joins WWP, which starts with getting someone through the front door.
A common misconception among civilians is condemning or villainizing seemingly irregular patterns of behavior expressed by some veterans upon discharge. Fletcher asserts behaviors such as anxiety, insomnia, irritability and depression “are very natural reactions to a very unnatural situation.”
Someone who has experienced a car crash, or a civilian who has been raped, exhibits similar PTSD-related behaviors and struggles, Fletcher says, adding that those in physical and emotional pain can turn to addiction and self-isolation, and can experience severe strain on their relationships with family, friends and romantic partners.
What the numbers tell us about ongoing health concerns
Nearly one in four WWP warriors have had suicidal thoughts in the past 12 months. Of those veterans who reported having suicidal thoughts, 70% report having them in the past two weeks. Top PTSD symptoms reported by warriors include trouble falling or staying asleep, being super alert, watchful or on guard, difficulty concentrating and feeling distant or cut off from other people. Seventy-two percent of warriors self-report experiencing depression as a result of their service, 74% self-report experiencing anxiety and 62% report they are lonely.
Another misguided thought from those outside the military community can be about the invisible wounds of war, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD. Of those who suffer TBI or other head-related trauma, 73% report experiencing symptoms of irritability and memory problems, and the latter can require extensive physical therapy and/or the support of a caretaker.
During military service, 97.9% of warriors report exposure to hazardous or toxic substances. Nearly half (42%) live with chronic pain, 35% live with TBI, 31% with nerve injury, 66% with bone joint or muscle injury, and 52% endure migraines and chronic headaches on a regular basis.
How do women veterans fit into the picture?
Only a small percentage of the population enters the military, and only a small percentage of that number are women, so the marginalization for them is tenfold.
In addition to struggles with PTSD (and combat stress), women also report higher rates of Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Women warriors experience sexual assault at a rate 2.5 times higher than women in the U.S. general population, with 67% of women warriors reporting having experienced MST sometime during their service, as opposed to 6% of male warriors.
How Wounded Warrior Project programs and services help to heal
The purpose of this survey is not to paint a grim picture of the issues that post-9/11 veterans struggle with. It’s published to galvanize efforts in helping this population so deserving and in need of support. Wounded Warrior Project wants veterans to know there is hope and there is help available to them. Over eight years working with veterans across Warrior Care Network has shown Fletcher just how effective treatment can be. “You can get better, and you can stay better,” she says. “It's a fact. We have data to support that.”
I’m still serving. I’m not overseas with a rifle and armor, but I’m serving, helping injured veterans […] who have these invisible wounds of war and physical wounds to come out and ask for help.”Anthony Villareal
Villareal knows this firsthand. “I’m still serving. I’m not overseas with a rifle and armor, but I’m serving, helping injured veterans get their voice out and get these other veterans who have these invisible wounds of war and physical wounds to come out and ask for help.”
Below are some of Wounded Warrior Project’s many programs and services that support healing from physical and mental health struggles, as well as ways of coping with other disruptions to transition back to civilian life, such as unemployment, food insecurity, homelessness and struggles with identity.
Warrior Care Network: A partnership with four university medical centers that provide intensive outpatient programs for clinical intervention and immersive therapy treatments at no cost to warriors.
Adventure-based journeys: Programs such as Project Odyssey and Soldier Ride teach veterans skills for combating stress, recovery management and healing.
Peer support groups: This alumni network of veterans can lean on each other for individual friendships and through community events. The Annual Warrior Survey states that the likelihood of experiencing PTSD symptoms is 57% lower among warriors who’ve maintained the social support of their military friends.
Nutrition and physical education: In combination with Adaptive Sports Programs, these services encourage healthy lifestyles for veterans that positively impact both physical and mental health.
Benefits services: Financial education and career advice are just a part of programs, such as Warriors to Work, WWP Talk and the Independence Program, that help veterans get access to their benefits and take back control of their lives at home.
If you or someone you know is a veteran in need of a helping hand, your first step in helping them can be to reach out to the Wounded Warrior Project Resource Center by calling or texting 888-WWP-ALUM or 904-405-1213.
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From Wounded Warrior Project:
Wounded Warrior Project is a nonprofit organization established to support and address the physical and mental health needs of post-9/11 injured veterans and their families. To learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.
You can help wounded warriors reclaim their lives from trauma and injury. Give to Wounded Warrior Project today.
This article was sponsored by Wounded Warrior Project and co-created by Yahoo Creative Studios. Yahoo News editorial staff did not participate in the creation of this content.
