An intervention to increase mental health treatment engagement among OIF Veterans: a pilot trial.

OBJECTIVES

Previous research has documented a stigma associated with mental health problems that interferes with the decision to seek treatment. This study assesses the feasibility of an intervention designed to increase treatment initiation among veterans reporting mental health problems.

METHODS

Participants were 27 Operation Iraqi Freedom National Guard soldiers who screened positive for 1 of the following disorders as assessed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview: depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and/or at-risk drinking. An intervention was administered using a cognitive-behavioral model to modify beliefs that may interfere with treatment-seeking behavior. Beliefs and treatment-seeking behavior were assessed post-intervention.

RESULTS

Participants were significantly more likely to report that they intended to seek mental health treatment post-intervention (p < 0.012), suggesting that a cognitive-behavioral model focusing on modifying treatment-interfering beliefs holds promise for increasing mental health treatment-seeking among returning Veterans in need.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the high rates of mental health symptoms post-deployment and the low likelihood of treatment-seeking among Veterans, interventions designed to increase treatment-initiation such as those explored in this article are critically needed.