Pain and Addiction in Military Personnel and Veterans

Abstract

Veterans of military service pose a special case both in their susceptibility to addiction and their risk for a co-occurring disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder. The elements of a military history are provided; this is not intuitive, and is salient both for determining entitlement status and to assess the cumulative injury. Numerous pain syndromes can occur as the result of both long-term wear and tear and abrupt injury, requiring consideration for disability compensation. PTSD and traumatic brain injury are more common here than perhaps among any other occupational group. Unique risks and concerns accompany the experience of warfare in different theaters; special sections are devoted to Iraq and Afghanistan; the first and second Gulf wars; and to Vietnam. Women constitute a newly enfranchised military group as subject to injury as their male cohorts. Several pain care innovations have been championed by the Veterans Administration, and these are described.