Are you doing enough to ensure your Mental/Behavioral health is being adequately maintained?

Behavioral health remains the most challenging factor of actively serving and separated members of the U.S. Military leading to the nationally recognized campaigns actively seeking to quell the 22 veteran and active duty suicides per day. The question that needs to be asked is “Can we do more?” During my time serving this wonderful country, I have attended the memorial services of four close individuals that I had the pleasure of working with. I have since asked myself, “What could I have done to keep those individuals alive?” There is no definitive answer to this question, but there are steps we as the community can take in preventing a further increase in losses of individuals we call close.

Step 1: As a community, we need to eliminate the negative stigma associated with seeking help. The primary reason this stigma exists is due to concerns regarding individual’s security clearances. As an intelligence professional, I can confirm that individuals seeking Behavioral Heath help will not result in a revocation or denial of a security clearance. Per the Department of Defense Central Adjudication Facility (DoDCAF) “Between 2006 and 2012, only one in every 35,000 people either applying for the first time or seeking to maintain their clearance were either denied a clearance or had their clearance revoked after answering “Yes” to the dreaded Question 21 on Standard Form 86 (the question that pertains to mental health history).” As of 2017, answering “Yes” no longer results in a revocation of a security clearance unless deemed a threat to national security.

I will say that I have sought help following the deaths of each individual lost to Suicide that I personally knew. I am proud to say that I have sought the treatment I knew I needed even though I didn’t know I actually needed it.

Step 2: For the actively serving community and even those who are retired or separated, use ACE. For those who may not know what ACE stands for, it means Ask, Care, Escort. Simply ask the question “are you planning on hurting or killing yourself?” Do not be indirect with the question as you may not get a truthful answer. Care for the individual. Be there for them, listen to them, and let them know that you care about them. Escort them to the appropriate medical facility for treatment.

Step 3: Never be afraid to take a “resiliency” day. Everyone at one point or another begins to feel overwhelmed and just needs a day or two to decompress and relax. Taking time away from something and finding yourself again allows an individual to forget or get out of an environment that affects them negatively.

Last, but not least, know who to call in the event that your or someone you know is planning on committing suicide.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: [login to see]
If there is an emergency or someone has attempted to take their life: Dial 911 immediately
Do you want to talk to someone? Log on to depression-chat-rooms.org