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Marisa Schultz / The Detroit News

Returning home after months of war can be a jarring transition for many veterans. Some are jobless, lack a support system or face financial turmoil, and others are starting college for the first time. Many have missed anniversaries, the birth of babies and holidays with families. If these reintegration struggles weren’t daunting enough, some are silently grappling with mental side effects of war.

A 2008 RAND Corp. study found that a third of the veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression or a traumatic brain injury. Five percent report symptoms of all three — and that’s not including others who battle substance abuse and sleep disturbances, researchers say.

“Most of these veterans have profound resiliency,” said Dr. John Greden, executive director of the University of Michigan Depression Center. “The reality is they have done well under stressful circumstances. The concern isn’t with all veterans … but some need proper care.”

The biggest hurdle for many veterans is overcoming the stigma that seeking mental health care is a sign of weakness or will affect future career opportunities, said Jane Spinner a social worker for strategic initiatives for the U-M Depression Center.

“People are putting off getting the help they need,” Spinner said. “We know outcomes are better the earlier they seek care.”
To combat those barriers, the Michigan Army National Guard, veteran advocates and health care professionals from U-M and Michigan State University developed a peer support program called Buddy-to-Buddy. It’s part of the Welcome Back Veterans initiative, sponsored by the Major League Baseball Charities and the McCormick Foundation.

The concept behind the program is that soldiers know the issues facing fellow soldiers. Veteran mentors are trained to help other returning vets. A second tier of veterans with advanced mental health training serve as back-up to the first responder mentors, offering additional support.

Derek Blumke, a U-M student veteran and co-founder of Student Veterans of America, supports the buddy-to-buddy approach to counseling. “It helps veterans normalize their experience and (realize) ‘I am not unique. I am not crazy’,” said Blumke, 28, who wants to develop a formal training program for student veteran chapters nationwide.

Veterans can carry experiences, such as seeing a friend die, from the battlefield back to campuses. “You can’t just shake these things,” Blumke said. “It’s a normal (reaction) just like anybody going through any tragedy or traumatic experience.”