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DoD Seeks to Eliminate Stigma for Seeking Mental Health Care

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2015 – The Defense Department wants service members to know there’s no stigma in seeking mental health care, a DoD Health Affairs official said here today.

“We want troops and their families to know DoD has great emphasis on gaining access to mental health care, reducing barriers, and following where the research goes to provide them the best possible care,” said Navy Capt. (Dr.) Michael J. Colston, psychiatrist and director of mental health policy, health services policy and oversight.

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, said Colston, who noted that anxiety and depression are extremely common mental health issues.

He also related how the department has sought to improve service members’ access to mental health care.

Reducing Stigma

The White House, DoD leadership and partnering agencies such as the Veterans Affairs Department and Health and Human Services have for years battled to reduce the stigma of seeking mental health care, and their efforts are paying off, Colston said.

“Stigma reduction is something you need to work on every day,” he noted. “We work with our partners every week, thinking of ways we can enhance access to care and to make psychological, mental health and substance abuse care are totally on par with other forms of medical care.”

Access is Everywhere

Mental health care access is “everywhere,” Colston said. Service members and their families can talk to a primary care physician or go to a specialty care clinic. And mental health professionals are embedded during deployments, he added.

As a psychiatrist deployed to Kuwait, Colston said he worked with psychiatric nurses, a psychologist, social workers and psychiatric technicians.

“We’ve got easy access to care, no matter where you are,” he said.

More Mental Health Professionals

During more than a decade of conflict, DoD has quadrupled its number of mental health professionals to help active-duty and transitioning service members and their families, Colston said.

Today, some 25 percent of active-duty troops seek mental health care the year before they leave the service, he said.

And we are ready to help folks transition” back to civilian life, he added.

DoD is very focused on getting good, evidence-based mental care assistance help troops in need by any possible portal, Colston said.

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Kentucky Guard Helps Community After Flooding

AUGUST 15, 2022 – As flood waters rose in Eastern Kentucky, the call went out to the National Guard that their help would be needed. In the hours following the first rainfall, hundreds of Kentucky Guard Soldiers were called on to provide rescue operations, supply distribution and security. For Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Dyal from […]

Army Develops Future Soldier Preparatory Course

JULY 27, 2022 – In response to the most challenging recruiting environment since the start of the all-volunteer force in 1973, the Army is implementing an innovative new program to prepare recruits who are en-route to initial military training to meet or exceed our rigorous standards. The Future Soldier Preparatory Course pilot program, which is […]

Top 5 University Scholarships for Military in the UK

JUNE 20, 2022 – The cost of a college education can be daunting and unaffordable for many university students in the UK. For the students who have set their hearts on joining the military, there are several scholarships available for them.  These scholarships help military students overcome the financial challenges of attending college. A University […]

Federal Hiring Summit for Transitioning Service Members

AUGUST 10, 2022 – Commander Navy Installation Command Headquarters, Fleet and Family Support Center is hosting a federal hiring summit Aug. 15-18. Although the summit is hosted by the Navy, all military personnel and their spouses can attend this virtual event. Those who are preparing for their end of service or actively transitioning out of […]

Military Consumer Month Focuses on Financial Literacy

JULY 29, 2022 – With inflation soaring in the U.S. and elsewhere, many among the military community, including reservists and veterans, are struggling to make financial ends meet and are in need of a good battle plan to beat their budget foes. Anyone in such a predicament would do well to employ the Department of […]

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