Understanding the Risks and Finding Solutions for Veterans: The connection between RHI, mTBI, blast exposure, and mental illness.
Recent studies by the VA have linked veteran psychiatric conditions to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), primarily focusing on combat and PTSD.
The Importance of Awareness
Despite mounting evidence, the connections between repeated head injuries (RHI), mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI), repeated blast exposure (RBE), and mental illness remain largely unrecognized. The Mac Parkman Foundation is dedicated to illuminating these critical links while exploring and advocating for essential treatments to address brain injuries, particularly within military and veteran communities.
By increasing awareness, encouraging proactive assessments, and championing targeted interventions, we aim to mitigate the profound impacts of RHI and RBE, fostering healthier futures for both our children and our veterans.
Repeated Blast Exposure in Military and Veterans
Repeated Blast Exposure (RBE), a newer diagnosis emerging within military and veteran communities, results from recurrent exposure to explosive blasts. Analogous to RHI, continuous exposure induces brain damage, potentially leading to mental health disorders. Yet, RBE remains largely unrecognized outside research circles, leaving many veterans with undiagnosed brain injuries, exacerbating issues like PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
High-intensity training involving repetitive blasts from explosives, artillery, high-caliber weaponry, breaching, parachuting, and more happens off battlefields just as it does during combat situations.
Veterans with significant RBE from combat and training often experience mental health challenges without adequate acknowledgment or treatment. Without proper diagnosis and treatment options that address brain damage, veterans can spiral into further mental health issues, leading to violence, marital and financial problems, emotional and behavioral issues, as well as suicidal and homicidal ideation and incarceration. Proper assessment and treatment for RBE are critical to providing veterans with the care they need to improve their mental health and quality of life.
Recognizing these risks helps veterans understand their impairments from a causal perspective, reducing fear and stigma. Awareness is the first step towards effective treatment and recovery.
Did you know?
57%
The veteran suicide rate is 57% higher than the national average.
50%
More than 50% of American do not believe the federal government has been effective in addressing veteran suicide prevention.
120k+
Over 120,000 veterans have died by suicide since 2001.Â
Repeated Blast Exposure (RBE) and The Impact on Brain Health
There is a high probability that hundreds of thousands of veterans who may have been diagnosed with adjacent disorders like PTSD and GAD have not been assessed for the effects of RBE on their brains. As a result, they are not appropriately treated, as the only two options available—therapy and pharmaceuticals—do not address brain damage.
