A former Navy pilot and Army sergeant team up to create Vets Prevail, a free online screening and counseling program to help veterans transition to life back home. by Elizabeth Armstrong Moore September 16, 2013 4:29 PM PDT Vets Prevail is a free, evidence-based, drug-free intervention for vets who may be struggling with depression or PTSD. (Credit: Screenshot by Elizabeth Armstrong Moore/CNET) Some 5 million veterans in the US are estimated to be suffering from depression, according to the National Science Foundation, and that doesn't take into account the full range of behavioral health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder, general anxiety, and drug abuse. So a few years back the NSF teamed up with former Navy pilot Rich Gengler and former Army sergeant Justin Savage to launch a free online screening and counseling program called Vets Prevail in an attempt to help veterans transition to life back home. Now, the NSF reports that the approach is working. Vets Prevail, a web-based tool, is designed specifically for veterans who might prefer to get help anonymously, without face-to-face contact, or simply from the comfort of their own homes. It's a drug-free, evidence-based intervention program for depression or PTSD that involves completing a profile assessment and engaging in online chats with "veteran peer coaches," as well as joining an online community of vets battling similar issues. "You've had enough death by PowerPoint," the Web site proclaims. "Welcome to a different approach." One study out of the Pentagon found that Iraq and Afghanistan vets are particularly haunted by "daunting and growing mental health problems," with almost one in three reporting symptoms of mental illness upon return from combat. In fact, in one poll of 4,000 of the roughly 2.2 million who have been deployed to those regions, one in three have reported contemplating suicide. For the sake of the many veterans who continue to return from combat, as well as their families, let's hope this approach is lowering enough barriers to get more people to seek the help they need. You can watch the NSF's "special report" on the program below:
A former Navy pilot and Army sergeant team up to create Vets Prevail, a free online screening and counseling program to help veterans transition to life back home.
September 16, 2013 4:29 PM PDT
Vets Prevail is a free, evidence-based, drug-free intervention for vets who may be struggling with depression or PTSD.
(Credit: Screenshot by Elizabeth Armstrong Moore/CNET)
Some 5 million veterans in the US are estimated to be suffering from depression, according to the National Science Foundation, and that doesn't take into account the full range of behavioral health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder, general anxiety, and drug abuse.
So a few years back the NSF teamed up with former Navy pilot Rich Gengler and former Army sergeant Justin Savage to launch a free online screening and counseling program called Vets Prevail in an attempt to help veterans transition to life back home. Now, the NSF reports that the approach is working.
Vets Prevail, a web-based tool, is designed specifically for veterans who might prefer to get help anonymously, without face-to-face contact, or simply from the comfort of their own homes. It's a drug-free, evidence-based intervention program for depression or PTSD that involves completing a profile assessment and engaging in online chats with "veteran peer coaches," as well as joining an online community of vets battling similar issues.
"You've had enough death by PowerPoint," the Web site proclaims. "Welcome to a different approach."
One study out of the Pentagon found that Iraq and Afghanistan vets are particularly haunted by "daunting and growing mental health problems," with almost one in three reporting symptoms of mental illness upon return from combat. In fact, in one poll of 4,000 of the roughly 2.2 million who have been deployed to those regions, one in three have reported contemplating suicide.
For the sake of the many veterans who continue to return from combat, as well as their families, let's hope this approach is lowering enough barriers to get more people to seek the help they need. You can watch the NSF's "special report" on the program below:
