Breaking the Stigma Behind Mental Health

Breaking the Stigma Behind Mental Health

Behind every soldier and their mental health issues there is the stigma that prevents this help to be received. Mental health between soldiers is perceived as a weakness, rather than getting help as a strength. Soldiers had less confidence in their fellow soldiers who had received help for mental health problems. The stigma behind mental health both deteriorates unit cohesion and unit morale. Whether it is chosen to believed or not the stigma around the perception of mental health is an issue that needs to be resolved. In the recent past the status on mental health has been greatly discussed amongst those in command. Classes and briefings on how to recieve help are given and people are encouraged to talk to a healthcare professional in order to receive the care that they need. The major factor in soldiers being reluctant to receive this care is the stigma around it within this population.

Defining the stigma

While there is a stigma around receiving care for mental, another major factor is knowing there is a problem first. Before one is able to receive help or reach out, they have to understand there is a problem they have to deal with in the first place. (Brown et al., 2011)states that those who understand that they have some sort of mental health problem had more than seven and a half the odds to reach out for the care they need than those who did not; stating that of those who were conscious of a mental health problem 49.1% were interested in receiving care, while the ones who were not conscious of a mental health problem only 11.1%. This barrier to care was also true within the rank structure, showing in the enlisted side those of E7 and higher were less likely to receive care when compared to the lower enlisted of E1-E4. This may be contributed to the difference in age and ideas surrounding the idea of mental health and receiving care.         

Combating the stigma

There are many ways that the military tries to combat the barriers to receiving care for soldiers with mental health problems. While most of them are preemptive and try to resolve the problem before it occurs, there are some that are done afterward in order to try and catch the problem before it is too late. Some ways the military trains their soldiers is through resilience training. Where soldiers are given a variety of options to go to if there is ever a need for help. Classes like these are important in the military and show how hard they are trying to combat these sorts of problems. These classes however lack in detail of how to realize when there is a problem. Having gone through them it was a good learning experience for if I ever need help. They teach you how to care for a buddy and see the warning signs in others, but do not teach you how to catch them in yourself. As Brown et. al had stated knowing there is a problem is the first step in order to receive care. Another down fall to these classes is that it does not deter the stigma related to receiving mental health care.       

Future of mental health

There are much more to learn about the different types of mental health problems and how to combat them. When it comes to the different classes provided there are some ways to improve them, such as adding a deterrent for stigma. The stigma that a soldier who receives care is lower than the rest and weaker. Soldiers in a unit need to be able to trust one another and depend on the person to the right and the left of them, especially in combat. If this is not the case then unit cohesion and in turn unit moral is diminished, leaving the unit not mission capable. Fighting the stigma will in turn help the military as a whole not for the soldiers to trust more in each other but for them to trust in themselves. If a soldier is able to trust in themselves they will be better equipped to trust the ones next to them. Fighting this stigma therefore, is in important part of mission capability and being ready to defend the country whenever it is needed. While there may not be such a thing yet as I have previously stated there is much more to learn and pursue in the field of mental health care. Understanding that there is a problem, even in trying to fix a bigger problem is the first step in making things better.

Matt Wilkinson

Bio: I am currently a student studying movement science in hopes to someday become a physical therapist. Having a military background I am passionate about helping veterans and have become increasingly interested in the mental health of veterans. With this knowledge I hope to be able to bring more to the table as a physical therapist than just the physical aspect.

References:

Brown, M. C., Creel, A. H., Engel, C. C., Herrell, R. K., & Hoge, C. W. (2011). Factors                           associated with interest in receiving help for mental health problems in combat veterans                     returning from deployment to Iraq. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 199(10),         797–801. doi: 10.1097/nmd.0b013e31822fc9bf