Eight years into the war on terrorism, it’s time to take a national “operational
pause” and fully come to terms with the unique hardships faced by military
personnel and their families. The persistent uncertainty of being at war
impacts both those deployed and those they leave back home through lengthy
separations and the repeated stresses of witnessing injuries and death.
As members of the United States Armed Forces, we are trained to be physically
and mentally tough, but a new form of toughness is emerging: Increasingly, we
need to ensure we take appropriate steps to realistically deal with the stress
and anxiety of each deployment.
While I was a Marine Corps officer candidate in Quantico in the late 1990s, I
was told, in no uncertain terms, that the two fundamental objectives of
military leadership are mission accomplishment and troop welfare. Proactively
dealing with mental health issues meets both of these criteria.
We can either stick our collective head in the sand or we can acknowledge that
we need to work harder to overcome our resistance to seeking help for mental
health issues. For those struggling with Depression, Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD), and alcohol use disorders, among other issues, you are not
alone. Your mental health and wellness is a top priority. In operational terms,
your mental health is clearly a force multiplier.
For the past two years, I’ve served as a facilitator for Military Pathways®,
a joint effort of the Department of Defense and Screening for Mental Health®,
a leading provider of mental health education and screening materials. In this
role, I have had the unique opportunity to work with installations to help them
educate, raise awareness and host events about mental health issues. The idea
is that through the use of completely anonymous, free self-assessments service
members and their families can identify symptoms and access assistance before a
problem becomes serious.
These mental health screenings can become a part of existing programs/events,
including health fairs, family days or deployment briefings – any place where
service personnel and their families might gather. In addition to the events,
the mental health screenings are available online and over the phone, they are
completely anonymous and free.
Military Pathways also provides installations with educational posters, wallet
cards, water bottles and other paraphernalia that help educate, encourage discussion,
fight stigma and ultimately point service members to
www.militarymentalhealth.org to take a free, online self-assessment. After
completing a self-assessment, individuals receive referral information
including services provided by TRICARE, Military OneSource and Vet Centers.
For more information about Military Pathways, or to find out how to host an
event at your base, please visit
www.militarypathways.org or contact Kerry O’Connell-Vale at Screening
for Mental Health, Inc., 781-239-0071 or
[email protected]