Military Mental Health Care: A Guide for Service Members, Veterans, Families, and Community

Mental health help for vets is abundant, but finding the right resource in a time of crisis can be tricky. Therapist Lawhorne-Scott and journalist Philpott (the duo behind the forthcoming Wounded Warrior Handbook) abet that search for soldiers and their families in a unique reference that pulls together information on treatment and support for a range of post-service psychological problems, from traumatic brain injury to substance abuse, anxiety, and sexual trauma. The authors present a particularly packed section on the treatment options for post-traumatic stress disorder, including types of counseling, recent medical findings, and an exhaustive—and somewhat dense and technical—look at anger management, an issue affecting soldiers with PTSD at a higher rate than those without. The manual also includes a detailed guide for families to hold meetings designed to help each member—as well as the vet—and a plan for families to face the changes and expectations that arise with a returning soldier. Given the tens of thousands of soldiers coming home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan each month (a third of them with or likely to develop mental health problems), Lawhorne-Scott and Philpott’s guide is particularly timely. (Feb.)