Virtual Therapists Help Veterans Open Up About PTSD

When US troops return home from a tour of duty, each person finds their own way to resume their daily lives. But they also, every one, complete a written survey called the Post-Deployment Health Assessment. It's designed to evaluate service members' psychiatric health and ferret out symptoms of conditions like depression and post-traumatic stress, so common among veterans. But the survey, designed to give the military insight into the mental health of its personnel, can wind up distorting it. Thing is, the PDHA isn't anonymous, and the results go on service members' records--which can deter them from opening up.