Book Review: Bulletproofing the Psyche: Preventing Mental Health Problems in Our Military and Veterans

Mental health issues have always plagued military veterans. For years there was very limited access and available means for veterans to do something about the various mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual issues that had an influence on their well-being, because of a lack of government funding and public awareness. In 2008, the RAND Corporation conducted a comprehensive study of the mental health and cognitive needs of returning service members and veterans. RAND found that one third of returning service members report symptoms of a mental health or cognitive condition and approximately 300,000 veterans are suffering from PTSD (Tanielian T. et al., 2008, p. 2). Over the last decade, many programs and courses have been implemented by not only the Department of Defense (DoD), but also by many other social, academic, and political groups, to help reduce the number of service members and veterans who are struggling with coping after stressful and traumatic experiences. It is evident however, that there is still a need to assist active duty and retired service members as they transition through their years in the service and out of the military. Kate Hendricks Thomas and David L. Albright present a possible answer to this ever-growing issue in their book Bulletproofing the Psyche: Preventing Mental Health Problems in Our Military and Veterans.