What are the most common health challenges veterans face today, and how can we better support them?
We know that veterans commonly face a variety of physical and mental health challenges. Chronic pain, sleep disturbances such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnoea, and mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, PTSD and substance use disorders are widespread in the veteran population. The Veteran Mental Health team at Gallipoli Medical Research, in partnership with RSL Queensland, have recently developed a free online learning program called “Be:Well” which aims to educate veterans about common health challenges veterans face, and empower veterans to seek evidence-based treatment. Some of our recently released modules are about topics such as anger, managing tricky emotions and mood, chronic pain, insomnia, eating well, anxiety, and problematic habits and addictions.
Can you share a success story that highlights the impact of your program on a veteran’s life?
Our initial feedback from veterans who have completed the Be:Well modules has been positive. For example,
Be: Mood Wise
“This is very real and relevant. This has made me reflect on my past a lot and realise how far I have come, as I reflect, I see that emotional intelligence can be taught.”
Be: Sleep Savvy
“Sleep module has been significantly helpful in working out my issues with sleep patterns, how to seek and where to seek help for sleep matters.”
Be: Self-Controlled
“I enjoyed the topics in this subject. I have certainly got a lot of triggers and reading the PDFs have some solutions to solving the triggers. There are certain activities that can be done to improve techniques and triggers. My anger is not something that will disappear overnight but certainly now have some resources to dealing with the triggers. I am glad they are locally sourced in Brisbane.”
What innovative approaches or therapies/treatments are being introduced in veterans’ mental health care?
Innovative approaches, therapies and treatments are trialled and tested in the veteran community regularly. However, not all treatment is equal. The term “evidence-based treatment” refers to treatments that are backed by scientific evidence. Evidence-based treatments have been tested by many studies with many different groups of people and have found to be effective in safely reducing symptoms. Treatments that are not evidence-based could potentially be ineffective and unsafe.
Research tells us that approximately 75 percent of veterans with a probable mental health condition have not received evidence-based treatment for their mental health condition in the past 12 months. Therefore, our priority in the Health Translation team at Gallipoli Medical Research is empowering veterans and veterans’ families with knowledge about evidence-based treatment and where to access it. In other words, we want to improve their health literacy and confidence to communicate with health professionals about accessing the evidence-based care they need. Currently our team is sharing this knowledge through the Be:Well platform. Once the innovative treatments get good quality evidence behind them, then you will no doubt hear about them from us!
How can family and friends best support veterans dealing with health issues?
Research shows that veterans may disengage from services before they receive the help they need. There can be a number of reasons for wanting to end treatment. Sometimes veterans may even feel worse before they feel better. Try to encourage your loved one to talk to their treatment provider if they mention wanting to end treatment early. There may be typical periods during treatment that are hard-going and where many people might be tempted to give up. Trusting the process and persisting with treatment is important so they can receive the full benefits of the treatment. If your loved one thinks they are not getting much out of the treatment, encourage them to talk about this with their clinician so that they can re-evaluate the treatment goals and the treatment approach together. If they think that the clinician is not the right fit, the clinician may adapt their approach or refer the veteran on to a more suitable clinician. Just like a hairdresser, a mechanic or a personal trainer – sometimes it takes a couple of attempts to find a clinician that clicks.
There are other practical ways you can support your veteran loved one who may be struggling with their mental health. For example, learn what you can about the mental health issue, and be curious and non-judgmental about the ways in which it impacts your veteran. You can offer to be a listening ear, as well as offer to support them in hands-on ways when they’re struggling, such as driving them to an appointment, making them a meal, or helping with other tasks around the house.
Carer Gateway provides information and support for family or friends who are in a more full-time carer role.
What role does community play in promoting wellness among veterans?
We know that having a sense of belonging to a community is crucial for mental wellness among veterans. Our research also shows us that strong social connections outside of the military is a key factor in promoting a successful transition from Defence to civilian life. It can be challenging for recently separated veterans to know how to build meaningful social relationships outside the structure of the ADF, which is inherently social and team-based. For some recently separated ADF members it may feel like they’ve lost their community overnight. Our free “Go Beyond- Navigating Life Beyond Service” program has online training modules on topics such as Social Connections, Effective Communication in Civilian Life, Finding Purpose, Beliefs about Civilians and Help Seeking- for veterans who may be struggling with these aspects of transition. I’d encourage them to check out the program!