Programs Addressing Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Among U.S. Military Servicemembers and Their Families
This RAND report catalogs 211 Department of Defense programs addressing psychological health and traumatic brain injury across the resilience, prevention, and treatment continuum, in response to the deployment stress, PTSD, depression, and TBI consequences that have accompanied a decade of high-tempo operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The central diagnosis is significant duplication of effort within and across services, with programs developing methods independently and little basis for judging what actually works. Implementation is further constrained by inadequate funding and resources, stigma around seeking psychological care, and the difficulty of getting service members enough time inside programs. The authors recommend strategic planning, centralized coordination, and information-sharing across services, paired with rigorous evaluation, a tracking database, and consistent use of evidence-based interventions.