On April 22, 2022, Senior Officer of the Navy Russell Smith, the most decorated soldier in the Navy, fixed The crew of the USS George Washington docked in Newport News, Virginia, for a multi-year overhaul. Smith was there to listen, learn and share words of encouragement after three crew members committed suicide within a week.
While the ensuing conversation touched on the many factors that affect the well-being of those on board, difficulties accessing mental health services was a common theme. Discussions also touched on the military environment that can be stressful for mental health, and the importance of health necessity to ensure service members are able to perform their duties.
Of course, increasing suicide rates and difficulty accessing mental health services are not limited to the military. In December, US surgeon Dr. Vivek Murthy surprised many with a warning. consult About the extent of the mental health crisis facing the nation’s youth. Today, depression and anxiety in many civilian populations are at an all-time high, but the situation facing our armed forces is particularly dire.
During this year’s Mental Health Awareness Month, the Defense Suicide Prevention Office report There will be more suicides in 2021 among active-duty U.S. military personnel than in any year since the 9/11 attacks. This is the highest suicide rate since the Great Depression. Brown University’s Cost of War Project compared the increase in military suicides to another heartbreaking figure. Since 9/11, 30,177 U.S. military members commit suicide. That’s more than four times the 7,057 killed in military operations over the same period.
The factors that contribute to these statistics—there is a person and a family behind each—are as varied as in the civilian world. Social isolation caused by the pandemic, substance use disorders and even macroeconomic trends also affects military families. But service workers face the onslaught of additional challenges.
Violence encountered in war zones is traumatic, and the sense of selflessness that drives our soldiers, sailors, and airmen to put themselves at risk is often marked by an unspoken commitment to “Soldiers Continue,” which can lead to many Difficulty sharing mental health issues or seeking help. Today’s battle is also different. For example, the increasing use of improvised explosive devices has created an environment of constant fear.
Service members and their families also face additional challenges on the battlefield. Mass deployments, constant moves to new locations, and long hours when spouses, parents, or children are away can jeopardize the mental and emotional health of service members and their loved ones.Even living conditions, such as those discussed aboard the George Washington, can be problematic — a reality that prompts Government Accountability Office A recent review of measures to be taken to prevent suicide at remote facilities.
Work through an integrated approach.
Clearly, there is no single solution to ensuring the emotional well-being of our service workers. As seen among civilians, the most impactful approaches to military care are considered part of a larger comprehensive process.
Elements of this comprehensive process include readily available non-medical short-term consultations, rapid and timely direct clinical intervention; and the use of digital solutions that enable people to access help quickly and enable individuals to develop what they need to achieve positive long-term outcomes and overall health coping mechanisms, behavioral health strategies and habits.
Non-medical short-term counseling services are readily available over the phone and face-to-face and address a wide range of topics including anxiety, stress, loneliness, family relationships/dynamics and other issues. Advisors can also provide actionable insights and education on common mental health issues in military life related to changes in stations, deployments, family reunions, and other everyday realities.
Importantly, these same services should also be available to all family members. Not only does this address the needs of loved ones—a key factor in military family health—but it also aids in early detection and prevention. Family members are often the first to know when a soldier, sailor or airman is battling a mental health issue, and are often helpful in getting them to help.
When needed, immediate referral and direct clinical intervention can also ensure that service providers and their families are helped when counseling is insufficient. This includes quick access to psychologists, substance abuse specialists, and specialists trained in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Consultants and clinicians are not always present, even in the best of circumstances. For example, even if a consultant met with a soldier for an hour a day, there would still be 161 hours of unsupervised time per week. This is critical, because it is in these moments that help really matters.one study It was found that nearly half of those who attempted suicide did so impulsively in the moment.
To address this reality, service members and their families also have access to a suite of self-service, personalized digital health tools. Accessed through an app on your phone, they can help individuals get help quickly and develop the habits they need to achieve long-term health.
The app is very proactive, prompting individuals to provide insights — for example, by asking service workers about stress levels and anxiety, and prompting them to complete therapeutic coping actions — such as brief meditations, breathing exercises, journaling and other activities. The app supports frequent, high-touch engagement and also creates a 24/7 safety net. The app can instantly connect individuals to counselors, provide referrals or facilitate clinical interventions.
At the same time, the technology also provides an anonymous real-time view of grassroots population health. This helps leaders identify conditions that lead to mental health problems before a particular facility becomes prevalent.
We hope that this comprehensive approach will ultimately provide lessons that can be shared with the many organizations working to better serve those who serve us. In May, we celebrated the importance of Mental Health Awareness and Military Appreciation Month. Then on Memorial Day, we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Now, more than ever, we reflect on both, not just in a month, but always.
Photo: SDI Productions, Getty Images
