Helping Veterans in Our Communities( National Cou...),Health

National Council Magazine examines Iraq and Afghanistan veterans' struggles with mental health and addiction disorders.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 8, 2008 -- Compelling, firsthand stories by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars about their continuing struggles with mental health and addiction disorders are featured in the current issue of National Council Magazine, the quarterly publication of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. The magazine, titled "Veterans on the Road Home," highlights the difficulties that many returning soldiers are facing and how http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/cs/about_us/national_council_magazine [community-based mental health] and addictions organizations are helping them adjust to civilian life.

"For the thousands of veterans who return home with physical and mental scars, their wounds can present particular challenges for years to come," writes Linda Rosenberg, president and CEO of the National Council, in the magazine's editorial. "… the war looms large for National Council members - http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/cs/about_us/national_council_magazine [community mental health and addiction services organizations] - working with the families left behind during tours of duty and dealing with the wars' aftermath in the form of veterans returning with posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse."

Nearly one in five (300,000) veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from either posttraumatic stress or depression, but just more than half sought help and only one in four received acceptable