Waging War Against Mental Illness
State veterans battling enemies on the home front
Story by Sara Gavin
CHARLESTON -- Lt. Suzanne Jenkins knows a thing or two about issues facing mountain state veterans. As the only mental health officer with the West Virginia Army National Guard, her job is to travel the state getting service members the help they need. And she says many are getting into serious trouble by trying to go it alone.
"A lot of them are coming back with depression as well as P.T.S.D. symptoms and they're self-medicating. They're using prescription drugs that are not prescribed to them, they're using prescription drugs that are prescribed to them in a manner that's not how it was prescribed," said Jenkins.
The lieutenant presented some of her experiences Monday to the state legislature's interim committee on veterans affairs. It also comes on the heels of a W-V-U study that found recent veterans from rural areas of west virginia are more likely to suffer from mental health issues than their urban counterparts. Rural veterans also report more difficulties finding services.
"There are so many of them coming back with problems and we want to make sure - especially in rural areas - that we have resources and trained people to help them," said Rep. Barbara Evans Fleischauer, a delegate from Monongalia County who chairs the Committe on Veterans' Issues.
The committee is looking at more ways to battle mental illness among the state's veterans.
As for Jenkins, she'd love some help on the front lines.
"That would be my dream - to see more mental health providers within the army national guard and it's something the WV national guard is definitely looking at doing," she said.
The Committee on Veterans Affairs has been gathering information for the last two years and will make recommendations to the legislature during the upcoming session that starts in February.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Waging War Against Mental Illness
