Deployment Health Clinical Center
DHCC has undertaken new initiatives to identify and treat service men and women with PTSD.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and generalized anxiety rates are high among service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, but many military personnel are reluctant to seek help. If left untreated, PTSD and other mental disorders can severely affect a person’s ability to deal with day-to-day life.
Detecting and treating PTSD are key components of the Deployment Health Clinical Center’s (DHCC) mission. The Center works to improve military occupational health care and, as part of these efforts, has instituted several broad initiatives to combat PTSD.
Single-Question PTSD Screening
There are multiple efficacious treatment options for PTSD, but the potentially debilitating disorder often goes undetected in primary care settings. The Center has made significant progress in efforts to develop a single question that primary care providers can use to identify service members who may have PTSD. Initial results from the testing are promising, showing the question to be effective at detecting PTSD.
Treating Depression and PTSD in the Primary Care Setting
DHCC spearheaded RESPECT-MIL, a primary care-based health care initiative currently in use at 43 military treatment facilities in the U.S. and Europe. The program aims to improve primary care for service members through a three-element approach compromised of a trained and equipped primary care practice; a care management resource; and an enhanced specialty care interface. All service members are screened for depression and PTSD using basic screening and diagnostic tools. Primary care providers have the option of referring those whose scores indicate they may have PTSD and/or depression into the RESPECT-MIL program or for other mental health care, as appropriate.
Providing Effective Treatment for Service Members
At Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), where DHCC is based, the Center operates an intensive three-week outpatient day program using cognitive behavior and exposure therapies. WRAMC offers a full spectrum of behavioral health care to patients with a wide variety of psychiatric conditions, including soldiers with combat-related illnesses such as PTSD. Multiple widely accepted, evidence-based treatments for PTSD are used alone or in combination to restore patients to a their previous levels of functioning. Many experience complete resolution of their symptoms.