Should Chaplains Be Gate Keepers for Mental Health Services?

2015-01-04T23:15:30-05:00

One of the more frustrating experiences I had in the military is when I made the career ending move to seek psychological help instead of letting my depression kill me. Never mind that seeking psych help being a career ending move probably isn't a good thing, I was forced by my command to go and see the Chaplain first, despite my own protests. I was sick, I needed an experienced professional to assist me, you wouldn't call the Chaplain for a sucking chest wound, so I'm not sure why a psychological injury is any different. By all means the chaplain should be there for troops who wish to seek their services for spiritual health, but they shouldn't be involved in the domain of actual medical care unless they're giving last rites to a terminal patient that's asked for them.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 5 at 2015 7:22 AM

2015-01-05T07:22:01-05:00

I agree, LCpl Private RallyPoint Member. I didn't experience what you did, but when I did need the help of a medical specialist (and one time that did include a psychiatrist, for a nerve condition), I never had to go through the chaplain. I was referred to the specialist by my Primary Care Manager, or regular doctor. And this was at a military clinic.

On the other hand, if that is the command policy - to see the chaplain first - I suppose it wouldn't hurt to go see him/her and tell them that you want to see your doctor and be referred to a mental health professional.

Did your command give you a reason for requiring you to see the chaplain first?

Response by PO2 Skip Kirkwood made Jan 5 at 2015 8:11 AM

2015-01-05T08:11:14-05:00

Nobody should be forced to see a Chaplain for anything. They are there to assist with spiritual needs, and if you had a spiritual need they would be a great resource. But you didn't sound like you had such a need - you needed the medical kind of help, you should have been sent directly to the medical folks.

Response by 1LT David Moeglein made Jan 5 at 2015 11:13 AM

2015-01-05T11:13:58-05:00

I don't know that chaplains should hold an official role of gatekeeper, but if I had to seek help for a mental health problem, they would be my first stop. Confidentiality is an important consideration. Chaplains have training in clinical pastoral education.

Linguistically, the mental in mental health refers to the health of the psyche, or soul, animating principle or whatever you want to call it. The underlying foundation of most theology is natural philosophy. Most chaplains have a grounding in the natural law, which is nothing more than common horse sense. Chaplains also have training in leadership that is not present in other mental health disciplines.

Even within the chaplaincy, different chaplains have unique specialties. They can take care of many issues amongst themselves. As a trained mental health professional, I acknowledge that there are times to utilize other disciplines. However, I still believe that chaplains are a good first stop.

Response by Capt Richard I P. made Jan 5 at 2015 12:59 PM

2015-01-05T12:59:19-05:00

LCpl Private RallyPoint Member I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience in this regard. I am glad to hear it was ultimately resolved effectively with the inclusion of a real psych professional. I think good leaders should be involved enough to counsel and mentor, and if need connect SMs with psych services directly, but sometimes the Chaplain is the closest at hand and nearest thing to a counselor available. There were many times deployed where it was impractical to rely on anyone but the chaps for immediate psych triage. Embedded at battalions they can help refer members to higher echelons of treatment much as Corpsmen can refer people up to the MO and above when needed.

Response by Capt James Clement made Jan 6 at 2015 12:24 PM

2015-01-06T12:24:48-05:00

LCpl Glocker, I think you bring up a good point.

First, in my opinion, no one should be a "gate-keeper" to urgent medical care of any kind - your sucking chest wound example is a good one.

That being said, I believe that the role of spirituality in society as a whole and the military in particular has been severely degraded and whatever vestige remains has been twisted into something it was never supposed to be. Obviously as can be read in some other responses to you there are some exceptions out there, I personally served with a fantastic chaplain who I still consider a friend today.

The role of spirituality in mental health has been well documented - people who actively practice sprituality are healthier, more content, and more resistant to mental injury. Check out this article from the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK: http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/therapies/spiritualityandmentalhealth.aspx

So with that fact in mind, you would assume that spiritual health would be as important to the military as how many pull-ups you can do. Unfortunately, however, Chaplains in many cases are exactly what you experienced: the odd ball Navy guy that lazy commanders send their people to when they don't know what else to do with them (and are scared of doing something wrong and getting in trouble).

So to come back to your original question, no I don't think Chaplains should be the gatekeeper to mental health services - I think spirituality should be actively encouraged and trained to from the very beginning of military service which will in turn prevent some of the systemic mental illnesses our armed forces are suffering from today.

Spirituality and Mental Health

Spirituality and mental health: readable and up-to-date information on spirituality and mental health from the Royal College of Psychiatrists