A recent RAND Corporation study found that, among other things, the military’s health program falls short in providing mental health care to active service members. The study focused on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, which are two of the most common mental health conditions in the armed services.
According to the study, the health care system largely succeeds in providing patients with initial treatment, but had difficulty ensuring patients continue with their treatment. Only one in three PTSD patients got sufficient follow-up care (which was defined as at least four visits). For soldiers with depression, the numbers fell to less than one in four.
The RAND study was commissioned by the Department of Defense.
