Struggling to Cope: Veterans Face Issues Getting Help

The 2008 recession proved devastating not only to the economy, but American lives after suicide numbers spiked in its wake.

For veterans at high risk of unemployment and mental illness, experts say we need greater efforts to support the population.

EXPERTS SAY THE TOUGH FINACIALTIMES ARE PUTTING EXTRA STRESSON VETERANSWHO ARE ALREADY AT RISK OFUNEMPLOYMENT AND MENTAL ILLNESS.AMANDA BRANDEIS FOUND ONE NONPROFIT THAT'S USING A UNIQUEFORM OF THERAPY TOSUPPORT THEM AND THEIRCAREGIVERS.CANDRA MURPHY, AIR FORCE VETERAN19:11 "ALL I HAVE TO DO ISRELAX.

BEING ABLE TO GET OUT OFMY HEAD AND LITERALLY NOT HAVETO DOANYTHING FOR AN HOUR, ISAMAZING."IN A POOL HEATED TO MATCH THEHUMAN TEMPERATURE, VETERANS ARETRANSPORTED TO A STATEOF CALM.ELIZABETH BERG, EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR OF WAVE ACADEMY5:56 "IT'S OFTEN EQUATED TO IFYOU WERE TO GO ALL THE WAY BACKTO BEING THE WOMB, AND THATSAFETYAND SERENITY OF BEING IN THEWATERY ENVIRONMENT."BUT LIKE MANY VETERANS SENT TOSAN DIEGO'S WAVE ACADEMY, CANDRAMURPHY HAD HER RESERVATIONS."THE FIRST SESSION, I WAS TENSEPRETTY MUCH ALL THE WAYTHROUGH."THE AIR FORCE VETERAN SERVED FORSIX YEARS AND DEPLOYED ONCE TOBALAD, IRAQ.SHE SAYS THE BASE WAS A CONSTANTTARGET FOR MORTAR ATTACKS.8:05 "JUST NOT KNOWING WHAT'SGOING TO HAPPEN, BECAUSE YOUSETTLE INTO A ROUTINE AND THENTHINGSHAPPEN."WHEN SHE REINTEGRATED BACK INTOCIVILIAN LIFE, EVERY DAY TASKSLIKE DRIVING, WERE ACHALLENGE.12:41 "IT JUST DEPENDS ON THEDAY.

MORE OFTEN THAN NOT MYSYMPTOMS TEND TO SHOW UP AS ANANXIETY,HYPER-VIGILANCE, GENERALDISTRUST OF CROWDS.

I TEND TOSELF-ISOLATE A LOT."THROUGH COUNSELING, MURPHYLEARNED SHE WAS SUFFERING FROMPOST TRAUMATIC STRESSDISORDER.SHE BEGAN THE AQUATIC THERAPYPROGRAM BEFORE COVID-19, BUTLIKE MANY SERVICES IT WAS PUT ONHOLD.12:00 "FOR THE FIRST TIME EVERWE HAVE A WAITLIST OF PEOPLE WHOWOULD LIKE TO HAVE OUR THERAPYPROGRAM."DR. MARK JESINOSKI, CLINICALPSYCHOLOGIST14:22 "I'M HEARING FROM A LOT OFVETERANS THEY ARE FEELING MOREISOLATED, FEELING LESSSUPPORTED,EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED THEY'RENOT GETTING RIGHT NOW."CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST DR. MARKJESINOSKI WORKS WITH COMBATVETERANS MANY WHO WERE ALREADYDEALING WITH HEIGHTENED PHYSICALAND EMOTIONAL PAIN.

32:09 "WHATI NOTICE IS EVERY SINGLE THINGTHEY EXPERIENCE AS NORMAL PEOPLEIS COMPLETELY ANDTOTALLY MAGNIFIED BY WHAT'SHAPPENING."A REPORT FROM THE MEADOWS MENTALHEALTH POLICY INSTITUTEINDICATED THAT FOR EVERY 5%INCREASE IN THE NATIONALUNEMPLOYMENT RATE, AS MANY AS550 VETERANS A YEAR COULD BELOST TOSUICIDE, AND 20,000 MORE COULDSUFFER FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSEDISORDERS.

BUT RATHER FOCUS ONPREDICTIONS, DR. JESINOSKI SAYSSOCIETY SHOULD SEEK PROACTIVESOLUTIONS.40:26 "I THINK IT'S ABOUT BEINGMUCH SMARTER AND MUCH WISER INHOW WE ALLOCATE THAT MONEY INBEING A MUCH MORE INTERCONNECTEDSYSTEM OF SERVICES."BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT ANDCOMMUNITY NONPROFITS LIKE WAVEACADEMY.41:02 "WHAT I WOULD SAY TO AVETERAN IF THEY ARE STRUGGLING,DON'T DO THAT PRIDE THING, THATISOLATION THING, DON'T DO THE IAIN'T GOT TIME TO BLEED THING.BE WILLING TO TAKE A BREATH ANDOVERCOME THAT RESISTANCE ANDASKING FOR HELP."AND FOR SOCIETY, LIFTING OURVETERANS NOW COULD MEAN CHANGINGTHE STATISTICS OF TOMORROW.IN SAN DIEGO, I'M AMANDABRANDEIS REPORTINGSTILL TO COME TONIGHT - HOW BIGTEN ATHLET