Enhancing quality of mental health service for veterans with seizures

Psychiatric disorders are commonly identified in people with seizures (PWS). Comorbid mood, anxiety, and trauma- and stressor-related disorders are highly prevalent and not consistently recognized or treated promptly. Veterans with seizures are particularly vulnerable to neuropsychiatric comorbidities, including a higher prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. In this article, we describe an overview of common mental health issues, their impact on quality of life, and available resources from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Epilepsy Centers of Excellence (ECoE) to address this treatment gap. The development of the VA ECoE Mental Health Committee and the VA Mind Brain Program established a model of multidisciplinary care that bridges access to care, education, research, and outreach for veterans. This model could be replicated in the civilian sector to tackle the current worldwide public mental health challenges in treating PWS.