The Just Me Project

For Military Families

Recently published assessments of returning Iraq war veterans highlight significant mental health issues and challenges to the existing resources for intervention.

The stigma around issues of care plus the lack of access to care for the spouse, family-members, or reservists lead some analysts to predict that the long-term costs of care and consequences will be greater than the costs of the combat itself.

Many of the combat stress-related conditions like Traumatic Brain Injury may not become evident for some months, and may change the behavior of the individual in major ways. A child, a spouse and a parent may develop stress-related issues in trying to deal with this stranger who is their family-member. An effective and proven approach to stress-related illness is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or talking through the problems in a non-threatening environment. Whether with sick children and their families, returning veterans, or those who have undergone sudden loss and trauma, we know that if people under stress can talk about it, they do better. Sometimes the most difficult hurdle, especially given the stigma around mental health care, is finding a way to start the conversation.
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White paper: The Just Me Project for Military Families