Veterans & Families

Veterans aren’t always getting the mental health care or emotional support they urgently need. About 4 million people have served in Iraq and Afghanistan; the longest sustained U.S. military operations in history. A disproportionate number of veterans have returned with mental health challenges like anxiety, depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), research shows. Additionally, the number of suicides for veterans has reached a record high.

In many ways, mental health wounds can be more life-threatening to a veteran than the more apparent and visible physical injuries. Many of the wounds suffered by our nation’s service members are invisible to the naked eye. The wounds are internal — less obvious and easily missed — to the people around them, and in many cases, to the veterans themselves. Military culture promotes inner strength, self-reliance, and the ability to shake off injury, contributing heavily to stigma surrounding mental health issues. As a result, stigma creates a reluctance to seek help and a fear of negative social consequences.

Battling the crushing stigma of being perceived “less than,” “damaged goods,” or “weak” blocks veterans from getting the help they need. The result is that thousands of men and women are suffering in silence and isolation, believing they’re alone in their psychological fight.

“When soldiers go to war, their loved ones go to war with him/her.” 

Beyond mental health issues, veterans and their families must also face a number of other challenges related to war.

• The parent who is not deployed often has to take on complete responsibility for the care of the home, children and finances. This can leave spouses feeling anxious, lonely, sad and overwhelmed.
• Post-deployment families often face marital conflict, domestic violence, sexual issues, and depression.
• Behavioral issues in their children, which can be related to the deployed parents’ absence —  manifest in temper tantrums, separation anxiety, changes in eating habits, a decline in academic performance, mood changes, physical complaints, anger, acting out or apathy.

Dr. Lane not only provides psychotherapy and treatment for anxiety, depression, substance abuse, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, loss and grieving, and more. She also works within communities to develops projects to reduce the stigma associated with mental health.