Feb 1, 2018

Veterans struggle to find mental health care

Sam Baker

The Veterans Administration opened its first primary care and mental health clinic in Portland in 2011. Photo: John Ewing / Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

About half of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan aren't getting the mental health care they need, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences.

Why this matters: This is a huge problem that's going to be difficult and time-consuming to solve. But the care is crucial: in 2014, veterans' suicide rate was 22% higher than that of non-veterans.

What they found: The reasons for lack of care include the VA's bureaucracy, short-staffed clinics and hospitals, lack of social support and — of all things — parking issues, Bloomberg reports.

The good news, per Bloomberg: "If the VA can better connect patients in need with high-quality mental health care, it could serve as an example for the rest of the country."

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Veterans struggle to find mental health care

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