Mental health stigma in the Military, what have you done to lessen the overall Impact?

2014-03-24T11:58:56-04:00

What I am pretty much asking is what have you done as an NCO / O or lower enlisted in order to lessen the amount of mental health stigma that is seen in the Military? Myself, I have made an absolute open door policy that even if you're not my soldier, you can come see me for any mental health issues, so I can give you the resources you need in order to get the proper care with zero judgement.

Overall I want to figure out the best way to get military personnel together to end the stigma of mental health issues. In fact this is almost too difficult for me to word for some reason, so I hope you all get what I am trying to say.

For people who have already tried to end the stigma as well, please post about how you have been going about it. If that means talking to CoC to teach them to have better judgment and leniency when it comes to personnel seeking mental health help. Or that you end up helping the person yourself.

Thank you for your time and I hope to gain additional information from others who are also doing this as well.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 24 at 2014 4:05 PM

2014-03-24T16:05:00-04:00

I try to encourage my friends that I know have PTSD to seek help or treatment. But it's hard to make anyone seek help. I also try to let my Soldiers know that there is nothing "weak" about seeking help for issues that are out of your control or understanding. I try to let them know that they have a responsibility to themselves and their families to get healthy.

Response by Maj Chris Nelson made Mar 24 at 2014 4:57 PM

2014-03-24T16:57:39-04:00

There are a couple aspects to this. There are 2 ways to get to mental health... 1) voluntary. 2) command directed. Command directed is generally associated with negitive consequences (similar to DUI or ETOH related incident getting you a ticket to alcohol evaluation). The voluntary is just that....voluntary.

For Voluntary to work a few things have to line up: 1) member must self identify that he/she has a problem. 2) needs to gain the courage to accept responsibility for the issue, 3) schedule an appointment/walk in. Where a good leader (and even better then leader, a great friend) falls into play is in providing the support to the member... This may be in helping them SEE that there is a problem. If the member already sees there is a problem, it may be giving them the "lets go there together" for the strengh or confidence to go. Sometimes, baby steps are needed.....starting with a chaplain or an "off the record" MFLC (Military and Family Life Consultant) will get the ball rolling. In the end, you can only do so much...the member will have to take the final step. Not always easy.

The last way is the least desireable... You could just let them slide until they screw up enough to gain the command directed, but that will generally kill a career...or at least impact it....even while getting help. This last method should be a last ditch effort.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2014 7:24 PM

2014-03-26T19:24:51-04:00

I am a former Combat Medic (92B20), a former LPN (92C20), and I am currently an Army Nurse, (RN) with >24 years in health care and >27 years in service. I've seen the military shift from mental health being a career ending situation to becoming more accepted by the command. One thing that I believe helped me look at mental health in a whole new light is 3 1/2 years experience working on in-patient acute locked psychiatric wards. Some of the patients that I worked with were fine human beings that were experiencing a temporary condition and I recognized them for being insightful enough to seek therapeutic care. I will tell you that there are some conditions that, although they may be manageable, are not well suited to an armed service. I will also tell you that many conditions are manageable with proper compassion and care. A couple decades ago I learned that my reaction to those individuals who need care can have a life long effect on them and I voluntarily chose to be part of the healing process, not a barrier. I've run clinics in the WTU where people have been placed to receive care focused on meeting their needs to RTD or to move onto civilian life as functional as we could aid them to be. If they were transitioned out of the Army we set them up with follow on care from the VA of their choosing. I believe that Army healthcare is to provide confidential healthcare and the active support the patient needs to become as healthy, physically and mentally, as we have the ability to provide. We work with America's sons and daughters and that carries a great responsibility that should never be forgotten by those in leadership positions at any rank or by the professionals who provide care.

Response by SSgt K Ehlers made Nov 22 at 2014 2:16 PM

2014-11-22T14:16:41-05:00

I think it's important to talk about it at all levels. A direct supervisor has the most impact on reducing stigma through day-to-day interactions. However, if direct supervisors don't have the support of their command then it's hard to back up words with actions. A hypothetical example: I can tell my troops all day long that it is not weak to have a mental health issue and that it takes strength to admit when we are suffering and to seek help. If my commander doesn't give me leeway to allow my troops to take the time they need to get better, then it's pointless. Also, to reduce stigma we need to TALK about mental health in front of each other. We need to normalize mental health as much as possible. And when our troops scoff and make snide comments about mental health we need to correct it in front of everyone to set the standard. I commend you SFC Kayla Sondrol for bringing this issue to light. We need more NCO's like you!

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 16 at 2014 10:23 PM

2014-12-16T22:23:58-05:00

SGT Sondral, the bravest thing I've ever seen in regards to this issue was a former 1SG I knew who openly talked about seeking mental health treatment when she was struggling with post-partum depression. She talked about it to her soldiers, and how it helped her, and how she was still on medication that helped her. I'd never seen anything like it, and I know it changed my mind that day. We were all Military Intelligence soldiers, and there tends to be a huge stigma in the MI corps against seeking mental health treatment, due to questions on the SF86 that require you to disclose treatment unless it falls under certain categories - treatment for combat-related incidents, sexual assault, or marriage counseling. People are very afraid of losing their security clearances over mental health issues. So having a senior NCO very matter-of-factly tell us about how she sought help for an issue she would have to declare, and then be able to keep her clearance and her career, well that was eye-opening.