Patient Satisfaction with and Use of Telemental Health Services in the Perinatal Period: a Survey Study.

We aimed to assess patients' utilization of and satisfaction with telemental health (TMH) in the perinatal period. We hypothesized that satisfaction with TMH would be at least equal to, if not greater than, with in-person appointments. We conducted a cross-sectional survey between March 2018-June 2019 to evaluate patient satisfaction with and use of TMH services in the perinatal period. Participants used TMH services across the second and third trimester of pregnancy and the first year post-partum. Nearly half of the patients (8/19, 42%) used TMH to see their provider within the first two weeks post-partum. Participants were most commonly in treatment for anxiety (14/19, 74%) and/or depression (9/19, 47%). Most participants agreed or strongly agreed (13/19, 69%) that TMH improved their access to healthcare and that they could see the clinician as well as if they met in person (14/19, 74%). TMH was a highly accepted and appreciated method of mental health care delivery for perinatal women when offered as an alternative to in-person or telephone sessions.

A portal to healing: Treating military families and veterans through telehealth.

This paper explores the triumphs and challenges of providing free, integrative treatment to veterans and military families through secure video connections into their homes. Two case studies of telemental health treatment conducted through the Greater NYC Military Family Consortium in conjunction with the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Center at NYU Langone Health in New York City illustrate the complexities and opportunities that emerge in the course of treatment, most of which was conducted remotely. The access to people's lives through a portal adds new wrinkles to evidence-based practice in military settings while underscoring the overall need to broaden a network of care in partnership with Veterans Affairs hospital (VAs), Vet Centers, and community providers to reach those who might otherwise not seek help.

"I'm Coming Home, Tell the World I'm Coming Home". The Long Homecoming and Mental Health Treatment of Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans.

This study explored the journey of American armed forces personnel from their decision to join the service, through their service in an active military conflict and how these factors may be associated with potential resistance for mental healthcare. The data came from qualitative interviews with 46 OIF/OEF/OND active-duty military, reservists, and discharged veterans of the average age of 25 years, who presented for a new episode of mental health treatment to a large Veterans Affairs Hospital (VAH) in Northeastern United States in 2011-2012. Qualitative analysis of veterans' perceptions revealed several major themes describing how a mental health diagnosis would negatively impact both their sense of identity and pragmatic career-building goals: enlisting as a career-building avenue, 'noble superhero' identity, escaping from hardship, and mental illness as a career-killer. Findings suggest that factors making young veterans resist mental healthcare may be reduced by partnering VAH psychiatrists with career counselors, and by enhancing military leadership's awareness and understanding about how to support soldiers with emotional and mental health needs, with a goal to eliminating stigma.

Perceptions of Determinants of Successful Aging Among Older U.S. Veterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a qualitative study of older American veterans' subjective perceptions of factors that contribute to successful physical, emotional, and cognitive aging. METHODS: A nationally representative sample of 2,025 veterans aged 60 or older (range: 60-96; 96.9% male, 39.4% combat veterans) participated in the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. Using qualitative analysis software, the authors coded responses to three open-ended questions, inductively developed categories, aggregated similar categories into factors, and grouped factors into broader themes. RESULTS: A total of 53, 56, and 61 categories of responses was identified in response to questions about successful physical, cognitive, and emotional aging, respectively, with 10 aggregate factors linking these categories. The most prominent theme overall was "What you do," which received 2,295, 2,210, and 1,247 mentions for each of these domains of successful aging, with health behaviors the most common factor for both successful physical and cognitive aging and social engagement the most common for successful emotional aging. The theme "Who you are" was the second-most common factor (discerned from 376, 247, and 943 total mentions, respectively), with the factors that comprise this theme-personality and explanatory style, moral compass, and emotional dispositions-more commonly endorsed for successful emotional aging. External factors such as healthcare were least commonly endorsed across all domains. CONCLUSION: Older U.S. Veterans emphasize health behaviors, social engagement, and dispositional characteristics as key determinants of successful aging. Prevention and treatment initiatives that target these potentially modifiable factors may help promote successful aging in this growing segment of the population.