On Memorial Day, it seemed appropriate to mention a volunteer project called, Give an Hour.

As the Washington Post notes, thousands of private counselors are offering free services to troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health problems, jumping in to help because the military is short on therapists:

There are only 1,431 mental health professionals among the nation’s 1.4 million active-duty military personnel, said Terry Jones, a Pentagon spokesman on health issues.

About 20,000 more full- and part-time professionals provide health care services for the Veterans Administration and the Pentagon. They include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, social workers and substance abuse counselors.

According to veterans groups and health care experts, that is not enough for a mental health crisis emerging among troops and their families.

It’s estimated that 300,000 returning soldiers will suffer from some form of mental illness, most commonly posttraumatic stress disorder. We support this effort to help provide psychotherapy services to these brave men and women who have fought for our country. (Sadly, the donation button on Give an Hour has been broken all weekend, but check back later this week if you’d like to donate to this good cause.)

Read the full article: Private psychiatrists offer free service to troops

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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» Free Counseling for Our Troops (5/26/2008)

Posttraumatic-Stress-Disorder » Free Counseling for Our Troops (6/19/2008)

Posttraumatic-Stress-Disorder » Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Is Suffered By Many Reliving Tragic and ... (6/25/2008)

Posttraumatic-Stress-Disorder » Art Therapy for PTSD (6/26/2008)

    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 26 May 2008
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