Report: DoD does not know if PTSD programs work

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/07/military-report-dod-va-ptsd-programs-effectiveness-071312/

The Defense Department has a woeful lack of information on the effectiveness and related costs of its post-traumatic stress disorder treatment programs, despite having spent millions on various initiatives to address psychological health and traumatic brain injury, a panel of top scientists concluded in a report released Friday.

In a review of DoD and Veterans Affairs Department PTSD treatments mandated by Congress in 2010, an Institute of Medicine panel found fewer than half of all service members and veterans who screen positive for the disorders symptoms 40 percent have received referrals for care, and of those, just 65 percent actually go on to get help.

The group also concluded that DoD and VA should improve tracking of treatment and outcomes and institute research programs to evaluate the effectiveness of their programs.

Treatment isnt reaching everyone who needs it, and the departments arent tracking which treatments are being used or evaluating how well they work in the long term, said committee chairman Sandro Galea, head of the epidemiology department at Columbia University.

The withering report comes as DoD and VA grapple with rising mental health issues within their ranks, including suicide.

Of the more than 2.6 million active-duty, National Guard and reserve members who deployed to combat operations in the past decade, an estimated 13 percent to 20 percent have or might develop PTSD, according to other Defense Department and Rand Corp. studies.

Studies show those who get treatment proven, evidence-based therapies such as cognitive or exposure therapy can recover in half the time than those who dont get treatment. About a third of PTSD victims never recover despite treatment.

But the report says few service members actually are getting the help they need.

Those who develop chronic PTSD can face a lifetime of problems, including: other mental health conditions such as an anxiety disorder or depression, abusing drugs or alcohol, or social isolation.

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Report: DoD does not know if PTSD programs work