Over 1.7 million Veterans received mental health services at VA last year. VA services range from peer support with other Veterans to counseling, therapy, medication, or a combination of these options. The goal is to help you take charge of your treatment and live a full and meaningful life. If you need support for a specific mental health problem—or if you’re having problems sleeping, controlling your anger, or readjusting to civilian life—you are not alone. And VA can help.

How do I talk to someone right now?

If you’re a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, connect with a caring, qualified Veterans Crisis Line responders for confidential help. Many of them are Veterans themselves. This service is private, free, and available 24/7.

To connect with a Veterans Crisis Line responder anytime day or night:

You can also:

  • Call 911.
  • Go to the nearest emergency room.
  • Go directly to your nearest VA medical center. It doesn’t matter what your discharge status is or if you’re enrolled in VA health care.
    Find your nearest VA medical center
  • Get connected with mental health care—no matter your discharge status, service history, or eligibility for VA health care.
  • If you need support for a specific mental health problem—or if you’re having problems sleeping, controlling your anger, or readjusting to civilian life—you are not alone. And we can help.

To access free VA mental health services right away:

  • Call or walk in to any VA medical center—anytime, day or night.
    Find your nearest VA health facility
  • Call or walk in to any Vet Center during clinic hours.
    Find your nearest Vet Center
  • Call us at 877-222-8387. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. If you have hearing loss, call TTY: 800-877-8339.
  • You don’t need to be enrolled in VA health care to get care.

Depression Overview

Do you feel like you’re in a rut and you just can’t get out? Everyone feels sad at times, but those feelings typically will pass within a few days. If you can’t seem to rally, and it’s starting to interfere with your daily life, it could be a sign of depression. Depressive disorder can affect anyone. It may be marked by feelings of intense sadness or hopelessness, and some find that they lose interest or pleasure in activities that they used to enjoy. People with depression can experience feelings of guilt, unworthiness, or low self-esteem, and they may start avoiding being around people. Depression is a common but serious disorder—one that typically requires some treatment to manage. The good news is that even the most severe cases of depression are treatable. The signs and symptoms of depression may be hard to notice at first, so it’s important to be aware of your thoughts, moods, and behaviors and note if they start to change.

Depression Symptoms

  • Common signs of depression
  • Feeling sad or hopeless
  • Losing interest in or not getting pleasure from most of your daily activities
  • Gaining or losing weight
  • Sleeping too much or not enough almost every day
  • Feeling tired or as if you have no energy almost every day
  • Eating more or less than usual almost every day

Depression Treatment

Therapy — Evidence-based therapies are among the most effective treatments for depression. They can include the following — which are in many cases available at a local VA medical center.

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Depression (ACT-D)can help Veterans overcome their emotional pain by promoting positive actions and choices that align with their values. Through this therapy, you may increase your ability to recognize and achieve what truly matters most to you in life.
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression (CBT-D)is a structured, time-limited therapy that can help Veterans with depression develop balanced and helpful thoughts about themselves, others and the future. CBT-D can help you modify your thought patterns to change negative moods and behaviors. It can also help you achieve personal goals by developing new skills.
  • Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression (IPT-D)is focused on identifying and evaluating relationship issues that may be the cause or result of depression. IPT-D can also help you build social skills to deal with problems in your relationships and improve your overall quality of life.
  • Problem-Solving Therapy (PST)helps Veterans recover from difficult situations and learn skills to improve their daily life. This therapy can improve your ability to cope with major life circumstances and stressors and develop a response plan.
  • Behavioral Activationhelps Veterans learn how their behaviors are connected to their moods, and how to develop responses to improve their daily satisfaction. This therapy will ask Veterans to identify their values and goals and engage in more meaningful activities to achieve them.
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) A noninvasive treatment, TMS is used to change activity in the brain. TMS uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific regions of the brain, which may improve the patient’s mood and ease symptoms of depression. During each half-hour treatment session, the patient rests in a chair while a magnetic coil stimulates the brain. As these half-hour sessions occur daily for four to six weeks, TMS requires a significant time commitment.

Anxiety Overview

It is natural to worry and feel anxious about things—that presentation at work, your growing to-do list, a relationship. Anxiety can help you confront stresses in your life, and for many people the feeling is motivating and doesn’t last long. But when persistent worries start affecting your day-to-day activities, your work, your sleep, or your relationships, it may be time to do something about it. Anxiety problems are common and uncomfortable. Almost one-third of adults will experience some form of distressing anxiety at some point in their lifetime.

Anxiety Symptoms

  • Feeling restless, jumpy, or on edge
  • Excessive worrying about everyday decisions
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • A racing heart or cold, clammy hands
  • Trembling or twitching
  • Having trouble catching your breath
  • Feeling dizzy, nauseous, or lightheaded
  • Difficulty sleeping

Types Of Anxiety

Social Anxiety — Most people feel anxious in some social situations, some of the time, but for people with social phobia, that anxiety is strong and long-lasting. Social phobia can keep people from doing things they want to do, such as public speaking or attending a crowded event like a concert or a football game. Do you feel very nervous or anxious in specific situations? Download the screening checklist for social anxiety disorder or social phobia.

Generalized Anxiety — People with generalized anxiety feel as if they’re always worrying or anxious about a range of things in their daily lives. They have trouble controlling or stopping these worries — whether they’re about work, school, money, relationships, or their health. People with generalized anxiety sometimes describe themselves as “worry warts” and often are told that they worry too much. They may also experience symptoms of tension, including restlessness, tiring easily, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep difficulties, and inability to relax. Do you continually worry or feel anxious? Download the screening checklist for generalized anxiety.

Panic Attacks — People with panic disorder have recurrent, unexpected episodes of intense fear or discomfort called panic attacks. A panic attack is accompanied by symptoms such as heart palpitations, difficulty breathing, a racing or pounding heart, trembling, chest pain, stomach distress, dizziness or lightheadedness, and numbing or tingling. During a panic attack, people often feel afraid that they are out of control or even that their life is at risk. Although most people experience a panic attack at some point, those with panic disorder worry about having more panic attacks and will often do things to try to prevent them. They might avoid situations that are difficult to leave, such as a client meeting or concert, because they fear having a panic attack. This can significantly limit a person’s ability to experience and enjoy life. When people avoid situations because they are afraid they will have a panic attack, they may be experiencing panic disorder with agoraphobia. Have you had more than one sudden rush of intense fear or discomfort? Download the screening checklist for panic disorder.

Specific Phobias — A person with a specific phobia experiences intense fear in response to a particular object or situation. For example, fear of blood or needles, of enclosed places, and of flying are common specific phobias. Sometimes specific phobias arise or become more of an issue after a person relocates to an area with a higher risk of encountering what they fear. For example, if someone has a specific phobia of earthquakes, that fear may intensify after moving from Chicago to Los Angeles, where earthquakes are common. The key to coping with these phobias is recognizing when they are getting in the way of your everyday life.  Do you feel very afraid of, or feel a need to avoid, a specific object or situation? Download the screening checklist for specific phobias.

Anxiety Treatment

No matter what you are experiencing, effective treatments and resources are available. VA offers treatment options that are proven to be very effective for most people, and many types of professionals at VA can treat anxiety.

Evidence-based therapies are among the most effective treatments for anxiety. They can include the following — which are in many cases available at a local VA medical center.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a short-term treatment that helps Veterans understand the anxiety they experience and address distressful thoughts and feelings. This treatment may help expose Veterans to anxiety-inducing situations to help develop response prevention strategies. CBT is focused on identifying and neutralizing unhelpful thoughts and also confronting fears through the mastery of new skills.

Other Resources and Support

Explore more potential treatment options at VA by visiting the Learn About Treatment page. You can also get support from resources offered by other government departments and community organizations outside of VA.

Military OneSource — This free service provides expert support to connect military personnel and their families with the best available resources to fit their needs. For support, visit the Military OneSource website or call 800-342-9647 anytime, day or night.

Stress…At Work Booklet – DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 99 This booklet highlights knowledge about the causes of stress at work and outlines steps that can be taken to prevent job stress.

Worker Health Chartbook 2004: Anxiety, Stress, and Neurotic Disorders – DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-146 (2004) Provides data for anxiety and stress disorders based on magnitude and trend, age, sex race/ethnicity, severity, occupation, and industry.