CHARLESTON, W.Va. - As many as half of West Virginia military veterans of all ages suffer post-traumatic stress or depression (PTSD), according to a new study. Joseph Scotti, a psychologist in private practice specializing in trauma, conducted an extensive, in-depth survey of veterans for the state legislature. He says between 40 percent and 50 percent reported serious symptoms of PTSD or depression.

The good news is that talking to the right person can help, he says. The bad news, he adds, is that many haven't gotten treatment, so the survey found mental health issues in the elderly as well as in the recently deployed.

"It doesn't go away just because you want it to go away, or because somebody tells you to get over it. In fact, telling someone to get over it might make it worse," Scotti says.

Scotti says talking through a traumatic experience works. But he says it's hard, because you have to go over the parts you don't want to, again and again. Scotti says that means talking to someone who knows what they're doing, knows what to ask and has the resilience to work through it.

"Talking helps; shutting up doesn't," he says. "Sometimes people talk to their buddies. Buddies might be helpful; buddies might tell them to suck it up. Sucking it up just doesn't work."

A lot of things can trigger panic in someone with PTSD, he says, like seeing a box on the roadside that could hide an IED.

"Or you're scanning the treeline all the time. Or you don't like to be in crowds because things explode in crowds. A smell. Gasoline. Hearing a helicopter or a jet going overhead," he says.

Scotti's group surveyed 1,300 of the 180,000 vets in the state. He says they found many at elevated risk of suicide, especially those who have added stress on top of untreated trauma. He says many vets are living like they have one hand always keeping the lid down on a garbage can full of unresolved issues.

"Telling the full story is hard," he says, "but you're already struggling moment-to-moment, day-to-day, with keeping that stuff back there. And it's still on your mind."

Scotti delivered his findings to the spring conference of the state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, the largest event of its kind in the country.

The national Veterans' Crisis Line is 1-800-273-8255 by phone or www.veteranscrisisline.net by online chat.



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New York's 2025 budget improves access to mental-health services.

Budget legislation stipulates commercial insurers have to pay rates similar to Medicaid for in- and-out-of-network behavioral health services.

While many New York adults can access care, younger people can't because of insurance coverage.

Matthew Shapiro - senior director of government affairs for the National Alliance on Mental Illness-New York State - said people are glad this broadens access to often limited mental health services.

"We hear from people all the time that they can't access care, they can't find a psychiatrist, they can't find a social worker, they can't find someone who'll prescribe medication," said Shapiro. "It can be very, very difficult, especially in parts of Upstate New York where these services just aren't readily available."

Some insurance companies pushed back, saying it would raise customers' rates. Shapiro noted that this will hopefully resolve long-standing issues in obtaining mental-health care.

A state Attorney General's office report finds 86% of the listed, in-network mental-health providers were either unreachable, not in-network, or not accepting new patients.

The budget allocates millions of dollars to other programs that establish new inpatient psychiatric beds statewide, and increase mental health support for first responders.

But, Shapiro noted that other insurance companies' barriers prevent New Yorkers from getting the best mental-health care they can.

"It's so important those people get the medications their doctor believes are best for them, and their individual set of symptoms as quickly as possible," said Shapiro. "So, eliminating things like fail-first procedures and what they call step-up procedures."

He added that these policies can significantly set back a person's recovery.

A 2024 survey finds 1 in 5 adults required to fail first had to visit the emergency room or be admitted to a hospital as a result of the policy.




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Studies show suicide is a serious public health problem, claiming more than 48,000 lives each year in the nation.

A new initiative from the Zero Suicide Institute aims to change it and demonstrate how a diverse group of hospitals in South Carolina and elsewhere can improve their suicide prevention practices.

Allyson Sipes, director of clinical initiatives at G. Werber Bryan Psychiatric Hospital in Columbia, said the Institute worked with her staff to develop best practices.

"The Zero Suicide Institute brought in a group of individuals that we could learn from," Sipes recounted. "Then having an expert faculty with a change package that we used to set our facility and what to look at and address."

Sipes explained the program was developed by the Pew Charitable Trusts to test evidence-informed methods to detect suicide risk and connect patients to treatment.

Nearly 27% of U.S. hospitals do not practice recommended suicide prevention practices, including safety planning, warm handoffs to outpatient care, patient follow-up and lethal-means counseling.

Laurin Jozlin, senior project associate for the institute, said studies show half the people who die by suicide saw a health care professional in the month before their death but were never referred to a mental health professional.

"We know that there's an opportunity in health and behavioral health care systems to intervene," Jozlin acknowledged. "They are being seen by health and behavioral health care professionals but they're often not identified as someone who is at risk of suicide."

Sara Voelker, improvement adviser for the Education Development Center, said they take ideas proven successful elsewhere and develop them into best practices.

"We put it together into a change package," Voelker noted. "Then teams pulled out ideas that had worked in other places and then, essentially, figured out a way of, 'How do I adapt this to make it work in my organization?'"

If you are struggling with mental health, help is available by calling or texting 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


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As Children's Mental Health Awareness Week kicks off in Arkansas, an expert said parents can help their children have a healthy brain to thrive.

Charles Fay, child psychologist and president of the Love and Logic Institute, said national data show roughly 42% of adolescents aged 12-17 in Arkansas, mirroring national trends, receive services for severe depression.

He argued a healthy brain is the foundation of good parenting and Arkansas parents could foster children's ability to become mentally strong, responsible and successful.

"Parents creating a home where kids are really expected to take good care of themselves and show them how to do it, with the eating, the diet, with sleep," Fay outlined. "We're seeing more young people getting hardly any sleep and one of the biggest reasons is they have their phones or other devices in their bedrooms."

For children struggling with depression, anxiety or adjusting to challenging situations, the state program ARKids provides mental health resources online.

Fay stressed it is important for parents to identify signs of mental health struggles in their children. One indicator he suggested is a child's lack of interest in activities they normally enjoy. He added it is important for parents to consistently be firm and caring with their children.

"Firm means healthy limits and accountability," Fay emphasized. "There's been a number of studies recently that show that when kids do not have consistent limits, when they are not held accountable, they are far more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and a whole host of other mental health disorders."

Fay noted the importance of guiding children to translate their natural talents into fulfilling careers. He believes the path leads to greater happiness. His book, "Raising Mentally Strong Kids," features a strategy combining brain science with practical tools to cultivate resilient minds in children.