This text serves a critical need, which has been highlighted by recent reported rates of combat-related stress disorders and traumatic brain injury, as well as increases in suicide rates among service members and veterans over the past decade and the distress and challenges faced by their children and families. More than 2.5 million Americans currently serve in the U.S. military on active duty, in the Reserves, or in the National Guard, and more than 20 million civilians are veterans. Although patients are viewed here in the context of military service, they seek health care in military, veteran, and civilian settings, and their mental health concerns are as diverse as those encountered in the civilian population. This book is designed for clinicians in all care settings and provides thorough coverage of U.S. military structures and cultures across the armed services, as well as detailed material on the particular mental health challenges faced by service members and their families.

An introduction to military service -- Health consequences of military service and combat -- Understanding military families : their characteristics, strengths, and challenges -- Military children and programs that meet their needs -- Military health care system and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs : an overview -- Combat stress reactions and psychiatric disorders after deployment -- Substance use disorders -- The care of combat-injured service members -- Traumatic brain injury -- Suicidal thoughts and behaviors in military service members and veterans -- Collaborative care : mitigating stigma and other barriers to care through mental health service delivery in primary care settings -- Deployment-related care for military children and families -- Children and families of ill and injured service members and veterans -- Caring for bereaved military family members -- Building resilience in military families.