Spotlight on Veteran Mental Health

This Veterans Day, we’re shining a light on a major issue impacting veterans across the country: mental health.

Each year, millions of veterans experience mental health conditions, but more than half do not receive treatment. In 2024, over 6,000 veterans died by suicide, and 62% of those veterans were not receiving health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Michael Georgescu, an epidemiology PhD student at Rollins, was inspired to research veteran mental health after studying alongside veterans and active-duty service members while attending college near a military base. Here, he breaks down some of the common mental health issues faced by veterans and what supports they need.

What are the main mental health issues affecting veterans, and how can they get support for them?

Veterans face significant mental health challenges compared to the general population. The main mental health issues affecting veterans today are post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, sleep disorders, and traumatic brain injuries.

Thankfully, veterans can access several support resources, including:

• VA medical centers and clinics that offer specialized mental health support programs
• National crisis hotlines such as the Veterans Crisis Line that offer 24/7 confidential support
• Powerful nonprofit organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Wounded Warrior Project, which offer support groups for both veterans and families

Where are supports still lacking for veteran mental health?

Veterans living outside major cities lack support for mental health, especially those in rural areas. Some may need to travel long distances to urban centers to access care.

There is also a chronic shortage of specialized clinicians to adequately address the mental health needs of our veterans. Since there is a shortage of clinicians, there are long wait times for appointments just to seek mental health care.

What changes do you hope to see in the field in the next five to ten years?

I hope to see provider networks expand to better serve veterans and address their needs, and to see health systems and nonprofit organizations come together to reach rural communities more effectively.

Veterans should not have to travel long distances or have long wait times to seek quality mental health care.

I also hope to see more research on veteran mental health, especially on scaling up new targeted interventions, specifically leveraging precision medicine, for the main mental health issues affecting veterans today.