ABSTRACT
There are special considerations when treating depression in the children of military families, due to both unique stressors and unique access to treatment and support resources. This article provides a brief overview of the history of military family care, an understanding of ongoing efforts to provide excellent and timely care for these children, and an understanding of the unique stressors and challenges that the depressed military child faces. The Department of Defense is dedicated to providing for the unique needs of military children and providing robust services to care for these children and their families.
Subject(s)
Mental Disorders/psychology , Military Family/statistics & numerical data , Military Personnel/psychology , Parent-Child Relations , Child , Depressive Disorder , Health Services Accessibility , Humans , Social Support , Stress, Psychological/psychology , United StatesABSTRACT
Military child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) fellowship programs offer educational experiences universal to all civilian training programs in the USA. They also offer unique training opportunities not found in civilian CAP fellowships in order to prepare graduates to serve the needs of military families. Military-specific curricula and exposures prepare trainees to address various issues faced by military families, in contending with frequent military moves, parental deployments, and disrupted social ties. Curricula are also designed to provide the psychiatrist with a greater understanding of the rigors of military service. CAP training and subsequent assignments prepare military psychiatrists for diverse career paths in the military environment. CAP military careers often include duties in addition to treating patients. Administrative roles, academic teaching positions, as well as school consultation positions are all career options available to military CAP.
Subject(s)
Adolescent Psychiatry/education , Career Choice , Child Psychiatry/education , Education, Medical, Graduate/methods , Fellowships and Scholarships , Military Psychiatry/education , Curriculum , HumansABSTRACT
Disasters, war, and terrorism expose millions of children globally to mass trauma with increasing frequency and severity. The clinical impact of such exposure is influenced by a child's social ecology, which is understood in a risk and resilience framework. Research findings informed by developmental systems theory and the related core principles of contemporary developmental psychopathology are reviewed. Their application to the recent recommendations for interventions based on evolving public health models of community resilience are discussed along with practical clinical tools for individual response.
