Patty Nieberg
A mental health survey given to over 50,000 troops on their way out of the military in 2023 found that two-thirds indicated they might have a mental health condition worthy of medical follow-up. But of those identified in the program, more than half refused referrals to a transition program for counseling or other treatment, a government watchdog found.
The high rate of potential mental health conditions was reported in a report released Thursday by the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, which examined the Department of Veterans Affairs’ mental health screening for troops on their way out of the service in 2023 and early 2024. The GAO found issues with the way that troops were screened for post-traumatic stress disorder, violence risk and alcohol use.
“Given concerns about the risk of suicide and other mental health challenges following service members’ separation from military service, it is essential that they receive effective mental health screening prior to separation. Such screening can lead to the early identification of individuals potentially at high risk and help direct them to further assessment, treatment, and intervention,” the Government Accountability Office wrote in a report released Thursday.
About half of the troops who displayed mental health risk, the report found, declined referrals to the Department of Defense-run inTransition program, a mental health counseling program aimed at members leaving the service.
Studies have found that suicide risk is higher for service members after leaving the military and that the risk increases during their first year of separation.