Editor’s Note: These are Part 1 of prepared remarks that Dr. Mark delivered on June 17, 2009 to members of Congress.

Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I would like to thank Senator Baucus, Senator Johanns, and Senator Tester and their staff members for the opportunity to speak to you today on the psychological health issues that our military and veterans face. These issues touch my life, both professionally as a physician who trained and practiced in veteran’s hospitals, and personally as a wife of a soldier who has served overseas, including in Afghanistan. As a doctor, I feel quite comfortable discussing statistics with you, but I want to first put a face and a heart to the issues that we, as a nation, are facing.

For so many with loved ones in the military, the years since September 11, 2001 have been a series of time together, trying to recapture the promise of marriages, the joys of caring for children, the bliss of simple gifts such as taking a walk and vast time apart when are fears are magnified by news reports of bombings and death. The public can understand that finality, but there is another side to this war that is finally being exposed-the psychological and cognitive impairment which can be hard to measure and visualize. It has been stated that cognitive brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder are the signature injuries of these conflicts.

Even when our loved ones return, some with physical injuries as well, it is these invisible wounds that damage the fabric of lives. They may come home, but emotionally they have disappeared. Family members, holding on to these precious spirits, disparately search for health care which could bring back their loved ones. We can no longer deny that we are a nation haunted by ghosts -- veterans of wars -- that we have not had the capacity to help.

Military families across this country can share tales of how our loved ones cannot sit in crowded rooms or outdoors for fear of an explosive device being detonated. How the nights are filled with terror as images shatter dreams. Perhaps, these are normal reactions to abnormal situations. Yet, these reactions create chaos in the world back home which is not bombarded with enemy fire or bombs.

On September 5, 2008, the Army stated that the suicide rate among returning veterans was higher than the general population and even among Vietnam warriors and these casualties continue to climb -- shocking numbers which should have alarmed the American public and created a public outcry.

The years of planning and leading missions, evading or stalking an enemy, always being on guard have taken a massive toll on our loved ones' psyches and their health as well as their families. Then to navigate health care systems that don't acknowledge these injuries for concern over disability payments or ineptitude only compound a tragic situation. I recall speaking to one Vet Center health provider who told me that their goal was to keep our troops off the streets and out of jail-lofty goals for our citizens who have defended our nation.

Fighting this war has rested on the shoulders of over 1.6 million Americans and their families. But the responsibility needs to be shared by all. I have often thought that if there had been a draft, millions would march in the streets to demand that we provide what is needed to support those who have sacrificed so much in the name of freedom. I have heard that we do not have the finances to provide the mental health care that is needed. It is not ethically or morally acceptable for our nation to send our loved ones off to war without the resources that they need to protect themselves. In my second presentation, I will discuss with you solutions to address the stigma and challenges of providing this critical component of health care.

We must stop viewing mental health care as a luxury. It is a necessity to ensure that our troops, our loved ones, can defend our nation and come back and be productive members of our society and our families.

Thank you.