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Conference on Medicine and Religion

The Church, as a Mental Health Resilience Factor for Veterans

​Jordan Herrmann, M. Div. (in progress), student, Duke University
Rev. Sarah Swandell, Pinehurst United Methodist Church

Each year, over 43 million U.S. adults are estimated to have a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that meets DSM-IV criteria.[1]  Suicide rates in the U.S. have increased in the past decade and a half.  In recent years, suicide rates among veterans have surpassed those of the general population.[2]  These statistics indicate significant human suffering.  Do religious institutions have a role to play in addressing such suffering? 
 
A former U.S. Army Special Forces officer with service in Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and elsewhere who was medically retired after 14 years of service with major depressive disorder presents a narrative of his experiences with the church as a resilience factor that helped him build a life after military service.  Particular emphasis is given to the church as a source of community and a source of continued service opportunities.  A United Methodist pastor who has a large active duty and veteran population in her congregation serves as a co-presenter. 
           
[1] Bose, Jonaki and Sarra L. Hedden, Rachel N. Lipari, Eunice Park-Lee, Jeremy D. Porter, & Michael R. Pemberton.  Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.  SAMHSA, September, 2016.   

[2] Suicide Among Veterans and Other Americans: 2001–2014.  U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Office of Suicide Prevention, 3 August 2016.