I wanted to seek help for on and off depression. Maybe it's just because of my pregnancy but do you think I will be penalized by the ARMY ?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 10:45:25 -0400

Response by CSM Chuck Stafford made Jul 7 at 2016 11:05 AM

CSM Chuck Stafford — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 11:05:02 -0400

Seek help, not just for yourself, but for the sake of your future child. I can not speak for your current chain of command and or the level of confidence and trust within that command. Perhaps you can find an ally with the chaplain... but do seek help.

Response by MSgt Michael Smith made Jul 7 at 2016 11:32 AM

MSgt Michael Smith — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 11:32:20 -0400

Active duty leadership loves to talk how there is no stigma or risk to speaking with a mental health counselor. Don't believe it. They might not penalize you in your official career, but it WILL show up in Security Clearance Checks, background investigations, and you could even lose or have your clearance revoked. I've seen it happen. I supervised a person who was locked in in a mental Health facility for a week because an NCO she worked with was concerned with her being depressed. I'm not saying you should not seek help, what I am saying is that when active duty military leaders say it won't effect your career, they are incorrect. It effects your career. Good Luck

Response by SSG Trust Palmer made Jul 7 at 2016 12:09 PM

SSG Trust Palmer — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 12:09:52 -0400

Hi SPC Private RallyPoint Member have you spoken with anyone in your chain of command or you Doctor? My his SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" was wondering if someone made you feel as though you couldn't seek help. If you EVER need someone to talk to, you are welcome to inbox me. I'm a mother as well and have been there before. Blessings to you and your unborn child.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 7 at 2016 4:23 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 16:23:47 -0400

SPC Private RallyPoint Member As others have stated, you will not be penalized for seeking help. Please keep us posted.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 7 at 2016 9:00 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 21:00:39 -0400

BLUF: Offically, no. Unofficially, people may view you differently.

Medic here, and to start off, please understand that nothing I say here is meant to discourage you from seeking help. In fact, I would STRONGLY advise you to seek out your unit's behavioral health care team for any and all issues related to depression.

That being said, I agree with MAJ Carl Ballinger . The "official" answer by big Army is that no, you cannot be penalized for seeking help for behavioral issues. Think of it like this--if you're having a baby, you see an OB/GYN. If you need glasses, you see an optometrist. Cancer, you see an oncologist. Behavioral health is no different. It's just got a bigger stigma against it.

Like the MAJ pointed out though, people are people, and if your leadership has a poor attitude towards seeking out behavioral health care, there's unfortunately little you can do to change it. And sadly, I have seen soldiers negatively impacted by their leadership's archaic views on mental health. It's never an overt "give this soldier the crappy duties/missions" type stuff, but it can bleed over into decisions like who gets to go to schools first, or who attends NCOES. Again, it's unfortunate, but the reality is that we as an Army are experiencing a cultural shift away from those old attitudes, and while we're in transition we're going to encounter people who cling to outdated views.

My advice to you is, go. Reach out to your unit's behavioral health team privately, and if you feel unconfident in your leadership's ability to treat you fairly, bring that up with the behavioral health folks. They're experienced in navigating those kinds of issues.

Congrats to you and your family, and I hope you get any help you need. :)

Response by TSgt Joe C. made Jul 10 at 2016 8:38 AM

TSgt Joe C. — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 08:38:24 -0400

Chaplains can help. Not sure what your trust level is with your current chain of command but the chaplains can provide the help needed.

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Jul 10 at 2016 10:03 AM

SSG Warren Swan — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 10:03:27 -0400

Don't worry about what the Army can/cannot do to you. Push it out of your mind. You were around before the Army, and you'll be here afterwards. You take care of you. If you can't get assistance from your unit, there are LOTS of other avenues both on post and on here to take care of you.

Response by CPT Joseph K Murdock made Jul 10 at 2016 10:11 AM

CPT Joseph K Murdock — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 10:11:05 -0400

Go get some help. Your leaderships SHOULD have understanding of your problem.