Recovering from Emotional Injury
Having the deep emotional scars, the pain, anxiety, sleeplessness and nightmares, the watchfulness and isolation that no one sees… feeling the stigma many Vets think goes along with asking for help…carrying the guilt and stress is all natural.
You deserve better. You’ve earned it. Come in from the pain. As soon as you start to make yourself your mission, you’ll start to feel the burdens you’ve been carrying lift.
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Treatment Works and Recovery Is Possible
Hear Veterans just like you tell their stories of strength, resilience, and recovery. Although their individual problems may differ, these Veterans share similar experiences of reaching out for support from loved ones, fellow Veterans, and the professionals at the VA and local private sources. They were all able to find solutions that worked for them and get back on track.
Just like physical health, mental health is important at every stage of life and is essential to your overall well-being.
Although Veterans can often recognize when to treat their physical injuries, it can be harder for them to identify mental health or readjustment challenges. Some Veterans — or their loved ones — may notice symptoms and experiences affecting their lives, but aren’t sure what to do about them. Others may think nothing can be done or may have concerns about the impact of treatment.
About Seeking Mental Health Treatment
For almost every mental health condition, there are a number of effective treatments that can help you cope with symptoms and greatly improve your quality of life.
You may need to work with your physician or mental health professional and try different types of treatment before finding the one that’s best for you. The VA specializes in providing care for Veterans, and it has clinicians who can help you find the right combination of care and treatment for your unique situation.
Many treatments can produce positive and meaningful changes in symptoms and quality of life after just a brief amount of time.
Treatment can help you understand your condition and change how you think about it, in part by identifying steps to improve your response to emotional triggers, stressful situations, and other challenges in your life.
Types of Treatment
The following types of treatment may be used independently or in combination:
Therapy or counseling can help you learn new ways of thinking, practice positive behaviors, and take active steps to move beyond your symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one type of counseling that research shows is effective for a number of different mental health challenges. Therapy or counseling may be one-on-one, in a group, with you and your family, or some combination of these approaches.
Medications work in different ways to manage the chemicals in your brain that may affect the way you feel.
Peer support services, in which Veterans who have experienced mental health challenges themselves provide support to fellow Veterans, can be a powerful resource during the journey of recovery.
The VA’s Guide to Mental Health Services describes what happens when you request mental health services from the VA, discusses the different settings in which treatment is delivered, and lists the treatments for specific conditions, as well as providing other helpful information.
When to Get Treatment
Whether you just returned from a deployment, were stateside during your whole time in service, or have been home for 40 years, it’s never too late to get treatment or support for the challenges you face. Even Veterans who didn’t realize they were dealing with a mental health condition for many years have improved their lives with treatment.
If you’ve just started experiencing symptoms — even if you aren’t even sure if anything is really wrong — reach out now. Receiving treatment as soon as possible may help prevent your symptoms from getting worse.
Factors That Can Affect Treatment
Some conditions occur alongside other mental or physical challenges, which may mask certain symptoms or make them worse. It’s helpful to have a full physical exam and mental health assessment for an accurate understanding of what’s going on.
Sometimes, alcohol or drug use can make mental health conditions worse and their treatments less effective. Reducing your alcohol or drug use may be an important step toward getting the full benefits of your treatment. There are VA and community treatment options available to help you decrease your alcohol or drug use, if needed.
Recovering from a mental health challenge is a process that involves hope, action, problem-solving, and tapping into or building up your support system — in addition to close guidance from a trained professional. In recent years, research from around the world has dramatically increased our understanding of mental health conditions and how to treat them, enabling the successful treatment and recovery every day of Veterans who experience these conditions.
You Don't Have to Wait to Get Help
Start helping yourself right now for both you and your loved ones.
- Search for “Emotional Injury” on FindHelp.org
- Contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for information and helpline support at 800-950-NAMI (6264) or text “NAMI” to 741741 in a crisis
- Use HelpPro’s therapist locator to find a therapist
- Explore a list of therapists across the country on Psychology Today
Non-VA Local Help
Know A Vet? presents this information and these national resource directories, not as a recommendation of any specific service or provider, but as a starting point for your own research.
Please feel free to use the check sheets Before, During and After the Medical Appointment and Choosing a Medical Service Provider to help you in your search for the best help for your individual circumstances.
In addition, there may be other federal, state and local government or private resources for your individual needs.
VA, Government, and Organization Help
Know A Vet? presents this information and these national resource directories, not as a recommendation of any specific service or provider, but as a starting point for your own research.
Clicking here will bring you to a database of other VA services you can locate by zip code.
Please also check out our page on Filing Claims. We recommend that you do NOT file claims on your own. If you do not file exactly the way the VA looks for information, it can take literally years for your claim to go back and forth before approval or denial.
The other resources listed, such as your local Veterans Service Office (names vary by county), VSO counselor, VFW, etc., will help you determine what you are eligible for and file correctly for results in as little as a few weeks.
Learn More – Get More
Learn more about what it feels like to live your best life. Go to our Self Help page to explore other issues that can bring you “All The Way Home.”
Also, check out the Claims and Appeals topic to maximize compensation and benefits for yourself AND your loved ones.
It’s your turn to get your best life back! You EARNED it with your service!
