In honor of Veterans Day — and every day — we want to recognize and celebrate the courageous men and women who serve our country. We are eternally grateful for your bravery, resiliency, and the sacrifices you and your families have made to protect our freedoms.
We also want to acknowledge that military service can be a significant stressor on mental health. The ALTWELL team is dedicated to opening up conversations about mental health and emotional wellbeing.
According to the RAND Center for Military Health and Policy Research, about 20 percent of veterans who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from either depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)¹. A study in JAMA Psychiatry found that the rate of PTSD, a mental health condition triggered by a traumatic event, is 15 times higher in veterans than civilians. The rate of depression is 5 times higher in vets than civilians².
How ALTWELL supports veterans:
It is so important that we advocate for our veterans and help ensure they have access to the resources and treatments they need. At ALTWELL, we’ll be donating 20% of our proceeds today, November 11th 2021, to Hope For The Warriors charity.
CBD for veterans:
We also want to share some promising research about the effects of CBD on veterans’ mental health. In general, CBD has been shown to help manage anxiety³ and depression⁴.
Researchers have also begun to study cannabis as a potential treatment for PTSD in veterans specifically. In a 2020 study, vets who used prescribed cannabis reported a greater decrease in the severity of their PTSD symptoms. They also were more than 2.5 times as likely to no longer meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD as those who did not use cannabis⁵. Another study showed that 91% of participants reported a decrease in PTSD symptom severity after 8 weeks of treatment with CBD⁶.
This research is still emerging, but it’s encouraging for veterans and anyone seeking support for their mental health.
Resources for veterans:
- If you are a veteran in need of help, know that you are not alone. Here are some resources to support you:
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) — they have a page for veterans here
- Real Warriors
- My HealtheVet
- Military OneSource
- If you are having thoughts of suicide, the Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7 by dialing 1-800-273-8255 and pressing 1
Sources:
1. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9336.html
2. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/1835338
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24923339/
5.https://www.vfw.org/media-and-events/latest-releases/archives/2021/9/federal-study-finds-cannabis-beneficial-for-ptsd-treatment
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6482919/