Is seeing military behavioral health a help or hurt to your career?

CH (MAJ) William Beaver — Fri, 01 May 2015 15:18:40 -0400

We tell our junior leaders, our peers, and sometimes our superiors to take care of themselves. We encourage them to see behavioral health. There may be MFLC, or the Chaplain. Perhaps Military OneSource. So does it ultimately help or hurt your career and promotion chances? When you need professional counseling or care, who do you turn to for help?

Response by SFC Stephen King made May 1 at 2015 3:19 PM

SFC Stephen King — Fri, 01 May 2015 15:19:54 -0400

We need to encourage everyone to not be afraid to seek help when needed. I was not raised in this manner in Fort Bragg. I have changed my view the fact is we are a chosen few who serve or have served. In your career you will expirence some things that may require others to help you understand your feeling, emotions and reactions.

Response by CH (MAJ) William Beaver made May 1 at 2015 3:21 PM

CH (MAJ) William Beaver — Fri, 01 May 2015 15:21:55 -0400

So you are saying that sometimes courage is demonstrated by opening certain office doors? I hear ya SFC

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made May 1 at 2015 3:32 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Fri, 01 May 2015 15:32:27 -0400

There's this huge "philosophical" conflict.

If you can work, work. If you can't work, go get help. But help is at work, so you may as well work. There's no calling in sick, so usually it's just easier to work through the "pain" (or trouble, or issue, or whatever). I had to come to grips with this when I got out, and my Migraines got to the point where I couldn't work through them. It finally hit the breaking point. The aftermath of that was Anxiety from fear of getting more Stress induced Migraines. Which caused stress... Which caused Migraines... Basically a nasty feedback loop.

I had just gotten out. And there was no way in hell I was going to a Doctor about Anxiety, because I was worried about my Security Clearance, which was more stress... I had a friend who had been medically retired about a year prior for mental health issues... which increased fears. As you can see, all this kind of just snowballs, and the entire "self reliance" plus stubbornness kicks in.

It's not that we aren't willing to ask for help. "I don't need help. I've got this!" Until I didn't. Hell, I could have told you who I could see. Crap, I'm willing to bet I could have called up the base Chaplains office at Quantico, and they would have seen me if I asked, but as I said "I've got this!"

Response by SSG Kenneth Lanning made May 1 at 2015 3:50 PM

SSG Kenneth Lanning — Fri, 01 May 2015 15:50:03 -0400

I have absolutely zero issue with people going to get help they need...what I do have issue with is when people use it as an excuse or fake it to get out of work for no reason or for more cash out of the VA; is pretty messed up trivializing PTSD by making others wonder if it's real or not.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 1 at 2015 5:41 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 01 May 2015 17:41:22 -0400

I grew up in the Army that shunned Behavioral/Mental Health. It was very difficult for me to seek care that I needed, even after 3 deployments. My Social Worker and I have talked about this for a long time, it's an outdated judgement. Always on AFN there were generals and SGM/CSMs saying if I got help, you can too. I had to wear down my own resistance to asking or seeking assistance in the mental area of health.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made May 1 at 2015 5:50 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Fri, 01 May 2015 17:50:05 -0400

It was the beginning of the end for me as I was never going to meet the standards to say in. That was 2012 and my hospital knew jack about healing PTSD patients. When I got better, I made myself to be a "quartering party" for several PTSD soldiers in order for them to heal. As Ernest Hemingway said, "You have to have cracks to see the light".

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2017 11:18 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 23:18:17 -0400

I'm not telling anybody that needs help to not seek it. But to answer your question yes it hurts your ability to open doors of progression and chance of promotion. I got disqualified from recruiter school for having some anxiety in the past and head aches. I will turn to mentors and great leaders of course off the grid. Translation I'll never trust in the integrity of the medical system when it comes to behavioral health in the army ever again in my career. I'll only go again to retry a mental health eval and once I wait the allotted time and get an approval. After that they will never see me again. I'll make sure of it.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 30 at 2017 12:38 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 00:38:46 -0500

I’m a SPC in the army and am trying to pick up my 5 in the next couple of months but am going through anger issues in my marriage, in order to save my marriage with my wife I am choosing to go to EBH and the MFLAK to help with my anger problem. In doing so, will this flag me and prevent me from getting promoted and or PCSing?

Response by SFC Randy Pritchett made Feb 5 at 2018 7:55 PM

SFC Randy Pritchett — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 19:55:21 -0500

It is very important to find a good counselor and one that is right for you.