Military/Veterans' Health

Many students who have had a TBI may worry about whether they are ready to go back to school and how, or if, they can succeed. It is not only possible to go to school, but it is possible to do very well. [PDF]

Information on how TBI occurs, treatment, prognosis, clinical trials and research is featured on this site. Organizations are also listed for further information.

Find downloadable/printable information on a wide variety of mental health topics and disorders. Available in English and Spanish.

Available in Spanish and English, this site offers a self-assessment questionnaire for the user to determine whether or not current symptoms are consistent with a condition or concern that would benefit from further evaluation or treatment. It is not intended to provide a diagnosis, but can offer guidance as to where the user might also seek assistance. The self-assessments are voluntary and anonymous.

Explore mental health topics. From here you can link to US Dept. of Veterans Affairs mental health services.

From the National Center for PTSD, includes a printable booklet.

Authoritative information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free.

Know what to look for when evaluating the quality of health information on Web sites.

Military service members and veterans have made sacrifices to our country, and they face different health issues than civilians. During their service, they are at risk for various injuries. These injuries can happen during combat, while others involve physical stress to the body.
Being in combat and being separated from your family can be stressful. The stress can put service members and veterans at risk for mental health problems.

Service members and veterans face some different health issues from civilians. Their families also face some unique challenges.

If you are missing an arm or leg, an artificial limb can sometimes replace it. The device, which is called a prosthesis, can help you to perform daily activities such as walking, eating, or dressing. Some artificial limbs let you function nearly as well as before.

Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Glucose comes from the foods you eat. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to give them energy.

Drug addiction is a chronic brain disease. It causes a person to take drugs repeatedly, despite the harm they cause. Repeated drug use can change the brain and lead to addiction.

Each night, hundreds of thousands of people experience homelessness in the United States. Some of these people experience chronic homelessness, while others have temporarily lost their shelter. The reasons why they are homelessness are complex.

People can lose all or part of an arm or leg for a number of reasons.

Also called: Hemiplegia, Palsy, Paraplegia, or Quadriplegia

You can get PTSD after living through or seeing a traumatic event, such as war, a hurricane, sexual assault, physical abuse, or a bad accident. PTSD makes you feel stressed and afraid after the danger is over.

Spinal cord injuries usually begin with a blow that fractures or dislocates your vertebrae, the bone disks that make up your spine.

Suicide is the tenth most common cause of death in the United States. People may consider suicide when they are hopeless and can't see any other solution to their problems. Often it's related to serious depression, alcohol or substance abuse, or a major stressful event.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) happens when a bump, blow, jolt, or other head injury causes damage to the brain. Every year, millions of people in the U.S. suffer brain injuries. More than half are bad enough that people must go to the hospital. The worst injuries can lead to permanent brain damage or death.

Non-profit amputee consumer educational organization representing people who have experienced amputation or are born with limb differences.

There is limited qualitative research on the experience of patients undergoing lower limb amputation due to chronic limb threatening ischemia (CLTI) and their participation in amputation-level decisions. This study was performed to understand patient lived experiences related to amputation and patient involvement in shared decision making.

he VA Center for Limb Loss and Mobility (CLiMB) is a research group focused on preserving and enhancing mobility in Veterans and others with foot and leg impairments or amputations.

VA's involvement in providing prostheses to Veterans began in 1921, when the Veterans Bureau, a predecessor agency to the Department of Veterans Affairs, was given the responsibility to provide artificial limbs and appliances to World War I Veterans.

SCI fact sheets provide useful health information that is based on research evidence and/or professional consensus. Provided by the UAB Spinal Cord Injury Model System Information Network.

From National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: information on treatment, prognosis, research, patient organizations, clinical trials, publications, and more.

Research on the reproductive and trauma effects on women in the military or Veterans who have been deployed.

This website covers the various topics regarding Women Veterans Health Care

VA outreach materials on women veterans' healthcare include brochures, videos, health outreach campaigns, and research publications and reports.

Find out about military exposures via exposure category, related military operations, or linked health issues.

There has been growing concern about the risk of subconcussive neurological injuries that service members face after repeated, low-level blasts during training and in combat. To examine this risk, the current evidence base, and potentially promising methods and tools for prevention and detection, the Department of Defense held its Seventh State-of-the-Science Meeting in March 2018. You can read the synopsis or download the entire conference proceedings.

Type 2 diabetes, the most common type of diabetes, is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. The good news is that you can take steps to prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes.

Research looking at the increased incidence of Type 2 diabetes in a cohort of VA enrolled veterans from 2008 - 2016. Also establishes a baseline to assess the impact of national or regional strategies to prevent diabetes in veterans.

Diabetes affects nearly 25 percent of VA's patient population. The disease is also the leading cause of blindness, end-stage renal disease, and amputation for VA patients.

Developing type 2 diabetes can be a serious health concern for veterans and their family members. Informational article includes links to resources. From Michigan State University Extension.

This annual report highlights each HPO program’s accomplishments in providing case management and other services—housing, financial, physical and mental health, and employment—to prevent Veteran homelessness or ensure that it is rare, brief, and nonrecurring.

VA research on the topic looks at the causes and risks of homelessness among Veterans and ways to prevent Veterans from becoming homeless. Researchers help develop interventions to improve homeless Veterans' health and provide resources and training to those who work with them.

Overview of demographics, risk factors, services required, and resources available for unhoused veterans. There is also a link available at the top of the page for resources available through NCHV.

NSDUH is a comprehensive household interview survey of substance use, substance use disorders, mental health, and the receipt of treatment services for these disorders in the United States.

The stresses of deployments and the unique culture of the military offer both risks and protective factors related to substance use among active duty personnel. Deployment is associated with smoking initiation, unhealthy drinking, drug use and risky behaviors.

Some people try to cope with PTSD symptoms by using drugs or alcohol. PTSD and substance abuse, like drinking too much or using drugs, are related. Learn about the relationship between substance abuse and PTSD.

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a treatable mental disorder that affects a person’s brain and behavior, leading to their inability to control their use of substances like legal or illegal drugs, alcohol, or medications. Symptoms can be moderate to severe, with addiction being the most severe form of SUD.