Posted on Jun 11, 2020
Are you doing enough to ensure your Mental/Behavioral health is being adequately maintained?
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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
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
Mental Health
Suicide
Depression
Health
PTSD
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 13
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I am actually helping people with PTSD. I know how it feels. Allow me to expound on some thoughts. I will use the term soldiers but it applies to all SMs.
- There is a lot of fears associated with PTSD:
1 The fear of never being fixed and life would be forever dark.
2 The fear of losing your career.
3 The fear of the immense pain.
4 The fear of losing your family.
5 The fear that pain becomes overwhelming.
6 The fear that nothing matters.
7 The fear of not knowing who to ask help from.
- None of my therapists could connect with me. I had to fix myself.
- Leaders need to be compassionate:
1 Let the soldier focus on healing.
2 Support the soldiers and establish a therapy and MEB plan.
3 Understand that soldiers with PTSD will make mistakes.
4 Empathize with how the soldiers feel and think.
- Not enough emphasis is put on preventing suicide. Don't hurt yourself is not enough. We need to
achieve the epiphany of eliminating reasons to die with reasons to live.
- The army, VA, and SS can do a better job of describing and how they relate to each other:
1 MEB.
2 Actions by the VA.
3 How to apply for SSDI.
- We need to paint the battlefield and some of the important tasks are:
1 Therapy.
2 Marriage counseling.
3 Get sober.
4 Understand all the entitlements. As a case in point, the VA does not publicize Caregiver Funds which
pays the spouse to take care of the person with PTSD or other wounds. Off the top of my head it can be $500-
$3500/month depending on the severity of the veterans wounds.
I have written a PTSD paper to help others. There is a dichotomy to it. I focuses on understanding PTSD and providing realistic coping skills. I don't want anything but some feedback to those who read it. It is called Love Squared. https://www.wellnesswishes.org/veterans
- There is a lot of fears associated with PTSD:
1 The fear of never being fixed and life would be forever dark.
2 The fear of losing your career.
3 The fear of the immense pain.
4 The fear of losing your family.
5 The fear that pain becomes overwhelming.
6 The fear that nothing matters.
7 The fear of not knowing who to ask help from.
- None of my therapists could connect with me. I had to fix myself.
- Leaders need to be compassionate:
1 Let the soldier focus on healing.
2 Support the soldiers and establish a therapy and MEB plan.
3 Understand that soldiers with PTSD will make mistakes.
4 Empathize with how the soldiers feel and think.
- Not enough emphasis is put on preventing suicide. Don't hurt yourself is not enough. We need to
achieve the epiphany of eliminating reasons to die with reasons to live.
- The army, VA, and SS can do a better job of describing and how they relate to each other:
1 MEB.
2 Actions by the VA.
3 How to apply for SSDI.
- We need to paint the battlefield and some of the important tasks are:
1 Therapy.
2 Marriage counseling.
3 Get sober.
4 Understand all the entitlements. As a case in point, the VA does not publicize Caregiver Funds which
pays the spouse to take care of the person with PTSD or other wounds. Off the top of my head it can be $500-
$3500/month depending on the severity of the veterans wounds.
I have written a PTSD paper to help others. There is a dichotomy to it. I focuses on understanding PTSD and providing realistic coping skills. I don't want anything but some feedback to those who read it. It is called Love Squared. https://www.wellnesswishes.org/veterans
Veterans | Wellness Wishes I Ohio 501c3
No veteran in America should ever be homeless or hungry – EVER. Wellness Wishes will be the mechanism to convey the gratitude or our country by funding veteran assistance programs, and making a difference in their lives, as they have made in ours.
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SP5 Richard Welch
I currently use Medical Cannibis for pain. You say get sober, does that mean giving up medical Cannibis and using more Opiod Pain Meds? I have severe skeletal and some heart issues that force me to live with a pacemaker. My VA mental health worker says medical cannabis isn't an issue.
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MAJ Ken Landgren
I quit drinking so I am looked for weed for a year to no avail. I have a $100 bill in my wallet for that purpose. lol SP5 Richard Welch
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I have since becoming a civilian developed several self-control techniques that I use to choke down the frequent desire to choke the living crap out of a moron
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