“A bit of that does exist, but I do see stigma on the decline.” “They may see it as a negative reflection on themselves, like a deficiency or character default or defect, or a fear that others may judge them for seeking help,” Guzman said. Guzman also noted that service members with specialty duties or assignments may be more hesitant to seek help. “If they believe it could potentially have a negative impact on their career, or affect their security clearance, or put them out of commission for a bit, they are more hesitant,” said Guzman.Īccording to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, out of more than 2.3 million security clearance reviews between 2012-2018, only 12 individuals (0.005% of all cases) had their clearance denied or revoked due to psychological health concerns. Older generations of service members are less likely to talk about or seek help for mental health conditions, he added. Navy, for example, has employed a human performance curriculum during bootcamp training designed to strengthen a sailor’s mental, physical, and spiritual capacity to strive towards optimal performance. He mentioned the services now introduce mental health education and resilience training in their introductory programs. Mental health is now a large part of military entry programs and talked about more openly. Guzman explained many younger service members are more open to seeking help and talking about mental health. These factors give rise to stress and anxiety in effort to quickly adapt to new sense of normalcy,” said Guzman. population such as having to relocate every two to three years, possibly overseas, adjust to a new assignment and uproot family that can bring upon career and financial challenges. “Military service members are subjected to all sorts of stressors unique to the traditional U.S. Nick Guzman, mental health department head, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. “I think the military, in regard to mental health, has done a great job to address some of the concerns of stigma,” said U.S. The office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense recently issued a document recommending the Department of Defense begin a review of policies to eliminate stigmatizing language related to mental health. Skopp emphasized the importance of normalizing conversations around mental health, which makes it easier to take the first step to reach out and seek help. “For example, warrior ethos emphasizes discipline, mental toughness, and self-sufficiency, and foremost attention to successful mission execution,” she added. These feelings may be attributable to the culture within individual military units.” Skopp acknowledged that within the military, some service members view seeking help as a sign of “weakness, social inferiority, and/or a lack of resourcefulness. Nancy Skopp, research and clinical psychologist with the Defense Health Agency’s Psychological Health Center of Excellence.Ĭultural biases, a lack of trust with the system, and even feeling shame and embarrassment are some of the reasons many do not seek out mental health care services, according to Skopp. “A significant challenge to seeking help for mental health is stigma,” said Dr. Recognizing mental health as part of overall health and changing attitudes are keys to addressing it. Stigma can be a barrier to a service member seeking support for their mental health. The final phase is scheduled to kick off in January 2023.Psychological Health Center of Excellence | Mental Health | Mental Health Awareness Month: Defend Your Mental Health | Psychological Fitness | Mental Health is Health The second round of the pilot program will be conducted in four phases, and is expected to enroll approximately 5,000 Navy and Marine Corps students, along with 500 Coast Guard students. The Naval Community College is partnering with Arizona State University in summer 2022 to launch its military studies associate degree program, and is likewise partnering with Minnesota’s Alexandria Technical & Community College in the fall of 2022 to kick off its nuclear engineering technology associate degree program.Ī cybersecurity associate degree is also in the works and is expected to launch in the fall of 2022. These students, who will take the courses online, will have the option to select concentrations in military studies, nuclear engineering, cybersecurity, aviation maintenance technology, logistics, and other subjects. The pilot program for the community college launched in 2021, and the second round is expected to introduce a five-course naval studies certificate to accompany a 60-credit-hour associate degree.
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