Latest statistics indicate that more than 300,000 veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan are currently suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depression (Rand Corporation, 2008). A significant percentage of these veterans do not get help for various reasons including access issues and stigma attached to seeking care. The U-M Depression Center project will focus on developing a "Veteran-to-Veteran" program (to be called Buddy-to-Buddy) that trains veterans to serve as peer support for other veterans.  "Another veteran who has ‘been there' can be more effective than anyone else as a credible source to ‘normalize' the situation, provide support and resources, and urge treatment when appropriate," says  John F. Greden, M.D ., executive director of the U-M Depression Center. "We think that this approach will go a long way toward overcoming the stigma that has long been associated with depression, PTSD, and the other associated problems."

 

The Depression Center Welcome Back Veterans project also includes services to at-risk spouses, children and parents of veterans-groups that might not have coverage for the care they need. U-M, Weill Cornell Medical College and Stanford University have been designated "Core Centers" by the Welcome Back Veterans project to work on developing best practices that can then be replicated nationally by others with the intent to provide access to care for all returning veterans. Working together, Welcome Back Veteran Core Centers, the Veterans Administration Health System, the Department of Defense, and Veterans Services Organizations can create programs like Buddy-to-Buddy and can assist thousands of veterans in restarting their lives.

 

For more information on the Welcome Back Veterans initiative, please visit www.welcomebackveterans.org and www.McCormickFoundation.org, or contact Jane Spinner at the U-M Depression Center at jspinner@umich.edu.