Government Healthcare Policy, Business and Technology

Military Health System's PTSD, depression care falls short, study finds

Government Health IT: The military's health program falls significantly short in providing mental health care to active service members, according to a RAND Corp. study.

The study focuses on post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, the two most common mental health conditions experienced in the armed services.

It finds some good news: The Military Health Services – which is operated by the U.S. Department of Defense and provides care to active soldiers – is effective at contacting soldiers diagnosed with one of the conditions. In addition, a vast majority of soldiers who get diagnosed with PTSD or depression receive at least one talk therapy session, the study finds. In that regard, it outperforms civilian health services.

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