Frontline Psych with Doc Bender: Serving Those Who Served

By Dr. James Bender, DCoE psychologist

Dr. James Bender is a former Army psychologist who deployed to Iraq as the brigade psychologist for the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Hood, Texas. During his deployment, he traveled through Southern Iraq, from Basra to Baghdad. He writes a monthly post for the DCoE Blog on psychological health concerns related to deployment and being in the military.

Hello. It’s been an action-packed week as I was in Washington, D.C., recently for the American Psychological Association (APA) annual convention. I joined about 12,000 fellow psychologists to discuss a variety of topics, including the psychological health of service members and programs highlighting our latest research.

I presented at the workshop, Serving Those Who Served: Partnering with Returning Veterans to Aid Transitions, which was a forum for psychologists to become aware of information, resources and techniques to use when assisting this increasing population. As we know, military and civilian psychologists have an important role: as troops return from deployment, many will seek their help to cope with issues that may arise upon their return home. Keeping this in mind, among the points I emphasized at the training were:

■Don’t be too quick to diagnose a combat veteran: It’s normal for a returning service member to have some nightmares, be jittery around crowds, or feel nervous behind the wheel. However, it’s not normal if combat-related symptoms don’t decrease in a few months: the service member isn’t sleeping at all, has flashbacks, or doesn’t ever want to leave their room.

■Families matter too: Military families (spouses, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.) are also affected by deployment, so it’s important to understand their unique challenges. They can be a great source of information and support and are an important part of treatment.

■Drug and alcohol abuse should be taken seriously: Many people, including service members, like to drink and it’s usually not a problem. But if someone is drinking to calm their anxiety, if it’s the only way they can sleep, or if they’re drinking more and more to achieve the same effect (developing tolerance) it’s time for professional intervention.

■It’s important to be familiar with military culture: There are many qualified psychologists who have never served in uniform and are capable of treating military-related mental health concerns. However, it’s important that a treating provider is familiar with the basics of military life and the impact war can have on their patients.

I left the convention happy to know that the largest professional organization of psychologists is dedicated to helping veterans and service members with their mental health needs. However, they can’t help if military personnel and family members aren’t accessing treatment. If you or someone you know needs help, connect to support and resources by visiting www.realwarriors.net or call the DCoE Outreach Center at 866-966-1020.

Thanks for reading and for your service.