Survey: Many NH vets still struggle with PTSD, TBI – The Union Leader

CONCORD New Hampshire is doing a better job of caring for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries, but the mission is far from complete.

Thats the conclusion of a new report from the NH Commission on PTSD and TBI, which was presented Friday to the Health and Human Services Oversight Committee. The commission compiled results and recommendations from a survey of 913 veterans conducted in 2017, and compared their responses to a similar survey done five years earlier.

We really have a long way to go, but we have at least moved the needle a little bit in the right direction, Margaret LaBrecque, who chairs the Commission on PTSD and TBI, told the committee. LaBrecque is the commandant at the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton.

In the latest survey, nearly 40% of veterans reported being diagnosed with PTSD, or having symptoms, a 17% increase over five years earlier. And another 8% said they were unsure if they are experiencing such symptoms.

The survey also found an increase in the number of veterans who reported having a traumatic brain injury or head trauma, 19%, compared with 14% in 2012. An additional 6% said they were unsure.

The report suggested those results may indicate that more veterans are being properly diagnosed and that there has been a notable reduction in the stigma associated with military service and asking for help.

In the 2017 survey, 53% of veterans said they had experienced difficulties (physical, mental or otherwise) that had a negative impact on daily life as a result of their military experience. Five years earlier, only 37% reported such difficulties.

Of those that indicated they had been negatively impacted, 89% identified as having PTSD, 86% reported having TBI and 27% reported both.

LaBrecque said the states efforts to promote broader understanding of veterans needs are paying off. That includes Ask the Question, a public awareness campaign that urges medical providers, law enforcement officers and others to ask individuals they encounter about their military service, so they can better understand some of the issues with which they may be dealing.

In fact, three-quarters of those who responded to the survey said yes to this: In the last two years, has anyone asked you the question, Have you or a family member ever served in the military?

LaBrecque told the oversight committee theres still work to be done, notably in educating more medical and mental health providers about military culture so theyre better able to serve veterans who come in as patients. That way, she said, if someone actually answers yes to the question, then theyre able to know what next steps they should take. She noted the state police have such a program to educate troopers about military culture.

The survey identified not feeling understood by the providers who serve them and feeling embarrassed by their need for help as the top barriers to getting the care they need, both identified as issues by about 15% of participants. But the feeling embarrassment response had sharply declined from five years earlier, when 30% listed that as a barrier to care.

Proper diagnosis and treatment remains an issue for many older veterans, LaBrecque said. We know some of the traumas start to show up as they are aging, she said.

More than half of veterans in the survey agreed that over the last three years, health care providers better understand the importance of military service and culture; about 19% disagreed. And two-thirds disagreed with the statement In the last three years, I have been mistreated, misunderstood, and/or discriminated against because of my military service, while 16% felt they had been mistreated.

Half of the veterans said that stigma related to military service in New Hampshire has decreased over the last three years; 16% disagreed with that.

The survey also turned up employment worries among many veterans. Eighteen percent of respondents reported that they were unemployed and looking for work compared with just 7% in the 2012 survey. And of those who were unemployed, 34% reported having PTSD, 9% had TBI and 18% had both.

Oversight committee member Rep. Charles McMahon, R-Windham, asked what lawmakers could do to improve educational and job opportunities for those who have served.

LaBrecque said there are existing support programs and noted that state employment offices all have staff who are familiar with what veterans have to offer in the workforce. If someone comes in and presents as a veteran, they jump the line, she said. They go right in and get the services that are available to them, and they make sure that they feel comfortable and that theyre understood.

92% of respondents indicated they have a stable place to live.

18% identified substance use disorder or mental health difficulties as contributing to their housing difficulties.

46% identified with the current era (Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation New Dawn); 19% were from the Desert Storm era; and 24% were from the Vietnam era.

75% of those with PTSD, TBI or both receive health care at the VA.

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Survey: Many NH vets still struggle with PTSD, TBI - The Union Leader