The Stigma of Behavioral Health in the Military Community

     After attending a focus group  with spouses of military soldiers who recently returned from deployment, I began to think about our discussion of the stigma of behavioral health and other possible avenues for treatment that will help this population. This informative session gave our group the opportunity to share our experiences and provide insight to the consultants who were interested in how to best communicate the availability of behavioral health resources in the military community. This is a hot topic that can be discussed for a long length of time however I will touch on just a few things that I thought were important to share.

      One of the many things that were discussed during this session was the need to overcome the stigma that is associated with receiving treatment from a mental health professional.  Soldiers are called to be warriors who bandage their wounds and continue to do what is needed to accomplish the mission. There are those throughout the ranks of the military who view the need to seek assistance from behavioral health as a sign of weakness. The number of individuals who are in command who feel this way may be few however the negativity emanated from them has a long reach. There are those in command who are not supportive of soldiers who desire to seek help. They look at these soldiers as unable to handle the pressure and often question their ability to perform their job.  There are many soldiers who will not seek help because of the stigma and the fear that they will be among those who will be kicked out of the army during the downsize of military personnel. 

      There are efforts by many high ranking members of the military community who diligently work  towards removing the stigma of receiving treatment from behavioral health. Many of them are being transparent by sharing the issues they are facing as a result of recent deployments. They share their experiences and how they are overcoming them.  This approach is helping to remove the stigma by demonstrating to lower enlisted members of the military community that what is experienced during deployments can have detrimental effects that requires assistance from a behavioral health professional.  

     The increased awareness of post-deployment mental health issues faced by military personnel and their families has also backfired in some cases as many members of this community became desensitized by these campaigns.  Many of the campaigns designed to direct the members of the military community to these professionals focuses on all of the negative issues that can have an impact on the lives of the military family.  This can cause many individuals to become desensitized as there is an acknowledgment that those issues exist and that there are resources are available however there is no motivating call to action that creates a desire for positive change. There is a general acceptance of the cause and consequences of these issues and what is being called "the new normal".  The military environment contains action-oriented individuals who do not desire to spend a lot of time discussing the problem. They are solution-oriented individuals who want to work on solving the problem and moving on with their lives.  

     With this thought in mind, many members of the mental health community are focusing their efforts to becoming consultants or life coaches. The consultant/coach gains insight into the personal or professional needs of the client in order to help them to move forward in executing a plan of action that will change their lives and their circumstances.  They help their clients to understand their strengths and build upon those strengths to accomplish their personal or professional goals.  These individuals do not perform therapeutic interventions to treat a pathological behavior nor do they diagnose or prescribe psychopharmacological products to their clients because it is outside of their realm of practice. They will refer the individual who is in need of treatment for a particular condition to a mental health professional.  There are those individuals who respond better to this approach because they do not have a mental health professional who will diagnose them and provide treatment according to their weakness.  They are working with professionals who desire to seek out their strengths and capitalize on those strengths in an effort to overcome their weakness.

      The option of obtaining a life coach/consultant may be a possible solution in removing the stigma of seeking assistance in behavioral health. The methodology and approach of these professionals may be more conducive to motivating change in the lives of military personnel and their families.  A plan of action can be determined that these individuals will be motivated to take in accomplishing the mission of enhancing their strengths and overcoming their personal weakness. Those high ranking members of the military community who view soldiers who visit behavioral health as being weak may be supportive of their soldiers visiting a "coach" or "consultant" who will help them to get to the next level in their personal or professional lives.  

      Although seeking the assistance from a life coach/consultant may remove the stigma associated with visiting behavioral health,  these professionals do not take the place of mental health professionals who are trained to provide therapeutic assistance to those who are experiencing serious issues relative to depression, suicidal thoughts, and abusive tendencies.  Individuals who are experiencing problematic behaviors that is proving to be a problem in their personal and professional lives should seek assistance from behavioral health.  They can do this in conjunction with working with a life coach/consultant who will work with them in their personal and professional development if it does not hinder the progress of their treatment.  The ultimate goal is to provide the military family with access to professionals who will treat the behavioral issues while empowering them to be their personal and professional best.  This should be our focus because it will ultimately change the stigma of behavioral health in the military community.

To find out more information about mental health research or consultation, please visit www.ars-mhrcs.com