Leaders, how well do you think we're doing as far as mental health awareness?

Today's leaders are probably more aware. However, that being said all leaders need better education on mental health in order to be able to determine what maybe happening and if intervention is necessary

The army has come a long way but still has a long way to go. The last decade of deployments has made the issue more critical and personal to soldiers and leaders. WTU has also played an important role in helping soldiers that might otherwise get marginalized or even victimized. What has been an interesting trend for me lately is seeing new soldiers get mental health treatment for issues that occurred before or outside their military experience. That is something that was almost never looked at before. Long ago people only worried about PTSD. But other traumas such as sexual assault are equally important when it comes to caring for our formation. It all comes back to knowing your soldiers, talking to them, taking them seriously and not judging them when they need help. As a platoon sergeant I went through my own period of trauma and my 1SG was both direct and compassionate with me. He asked me if my ability to lead was compromised. He asked me if I needed to talk to someone outside of command. I went to BH and continued to lead my formation with great success. I pretty sure the soldiers knew I was going through something but that I was getting help and still ready to help them.

It is a great resource for everyone. I also agree that soldiers and leaders are skeptical about it. I believe we should try to incorporate behavior health into MRT. Utilizing there expertise on the way people think and react goes hand in hand with MRT. Another change would be Unit training instructed by professionals that work there and get them involved with suicide prevention. My personal opinion on the new soldiers we are getting now is they dont know how to handle constructive criticism without getting there feelings hurt. If this were to happen soldiers and leaders may utilize there services more often. Also it gives them a chance to talk about managing personal lives and the stresses at home with experts.