Remembering Our Heroes - Veterans’ Mental Health Awareness
Our veterans are a powerful source of protection and patriotism, and they face many horrors so that American citizens can sleep peacefully at night. However, veterans have often received little support for coming back into everyday life. Vietnam Veterans in particular faced many hardships when they came home, and those repercussions still echo in families today, all these years later.
According to the Housing Assistance Council and the Home Depot Foundation, there are 406,307 veterans living in Tennessee, and 30.7% of those veterans have a disability from injuries that occurred while serving. Of that population, 7.9% are living in poverty and facing food and housing insecurity. That’s at least 32,000 veterans! Circumstances are only getting worse this past year due to federal spending cuts.
PBS covered some of the biggest ways federal spending cuts are hurting our veterans. Our federal workforce consists of a lot of veterans, so of the 38,000 federal employees fired at the beginning of 2025, about 6,000 of them were veterans. The federal cuts have also gutted veteran healthcare. The Veterans Health Administration enrolled 30% more veterans than normal in 2024, demonstrating an increased need for healthcare for veterans. Unfortunately, the cuts in 2025 have led to 83,000 people losing their jobs at the VA, meaning care is limited and slow. The Veteran’s Crisis Line lost 800-900 out of their 1130 employees due to the cuts. VA research has contributed to huge medical breakthroughs, and their funding has been slashed. Finally, cuts to food stamps and Medicaid adversely affect veterans. About 400,000 veterans in our country are uninsured because Medicaid requirements are too strict, but they can’t afford proper healthcare. On top of that, 1.2 MILLION veterans in our country receive food aid through SNAP, and the very recent budget crisis and government shutdown means they won’t have access to food.
All of these external factors put more mental health strain on our veterans who already deal with PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and mood disorders. Of all the veterans living in America, most of them are now from the post-Vietnam era and have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. A study published in March of 2025 showed that this current era of veterans suffered more from PTSD, alcohol abuse, and they reported the greatest lifetime trauma and combat exposure severity. This youngest group of veterans have higher rates of psychiatric difficulties, and they are made up of more woman and minorities, meaning more veterans already come from difficult childhood backgrounds. They are struggling, and they need our help.
Between government cuts, increased exposure to trauma in combat, and preexisting psychological conditions, veterans today face constant hardship. But what can we do about it? We can raise awareness! We can talk about it, and we can educate ourselves and others on how to support veterans. We can also talk to veterans both in and outside of our family units. We can ask them what support they need, and we can help them find it.
If you live in Nashville, you can reach out to the Nashville Vet Center and ask them how you can volunteer. If you are in need of services, you can contact them 24/7 at 877-927-8387. Despite all the obstacles in their way, they are fighting hard to provide care for our veterans.
If you are a veteran or know a veteran, and you want help, you can reach out to us at the Therapeutic Studio. We can work with you, and we can also connect you to further resources. Just let us know how we can help, and how we can stand with you!
