Mental health research at VA’s Million Veteran Program

Resources, discoveries and more

Researchers with VA’s Million Veteran Program (MVP) are studying mental health conditions that matter to Veterans, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, suicide prevention, substance use, effects of traumatic brain injuries and more. For example, we’ve already:

• Identified and shared genetic traits across conditions like opioid use disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. These findings may lead to better mental health treatment for Veterans.
• Found that factors like food insecurity and marital status can impact suicide risk. These factors were added to VA’s suicide-risk prediction tool, REACHVET, which was deployed in VA in June 2025.
• Made many more discoveries that are helping improve care for Veterans. You can read about MVP’s research findings at www.mvp.va.gov.

To make discoveries, researchers need information from Veterans both with and without mental health conditions.

Every Veteran who completes MVP surveys helps strengthen this research.

If you haven’t already joined MVP and completed your MVP surveys (or aren’t sure if you completed them all), log in to www.mvp.va.gov. When you join MVP, you are asked to give a blood sample, grant researchers secure access to your health records and complete surveys about health, lifestyle, military experiences and exposures. Your responses to these surveys can help improve health care for Veterans with similar experiences. You can complete surveys at your own pace, save your progress and return later if needed.  

More personalized mental health care

Hear from MVP researchers and fellow Veterans about MVP’s Commitment to Improving Veteran Mental Health Care.

“We have many different treatments for some mental health conditions, but we don’t know who responds best to specific treatments. MVP’s research will help us identify which medications and therapies are most likely to benefit specific Veterans. MVP is poised to develop precision medicine for mental health care for Veterans,” said Dr. Nathan Kimbrel, VA Research career scientist.

Mental health resources at VA

Your mental health is a vital part of your overall health. VA has resources and services to support you and your well-being. Visit VA’s Mental Health home page to explore information and tools tailored to your needs.

Learn more about the Million Veteran Program

Visit www.mvp.va.gov to read the latest research or join MVP today. Questions? Call us at 866-441-6075.