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from the president


Breaking Barriers
MOAA’s 2013 Warrior-Family Symposium considered how, as a nation, we might eliminate the stigma and encourage more veterans to seek necessary mental health care.


For seven years, MOAA’s Warrior-Family Symposium* has highlighted the care and well-being of the nation’s warriors and their families. This year, it focused on mental health. Attendees witnessed stories from warriors of all generations and the knowledge of experts in the field. Three main takeaways summarize the event: There is still a stigma around mental health, especially in reporting problems; we need better education about the topic for the public and warrior families; and peer support helps encourage those who need help to get it.


The issue concerns all Americans because we will be required to fund increases in VA and DoD budgets over the next 40 years to provide care for those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. And because the largest portion of the bill is still unpaid, the commitment to pay the debt will extend far into the future. We need to do our collective best to address needs efficiently.


Fortunately, military health officials are doing what they can to reduce the burden and help warriors now, when problems might be easier to address. They recognize servicemembers are reluctant to report problems because of the perceived impact on their careers. Many programs have been instituted to try to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health treatment, but results are unproven, and more time is needed to see improvements.


The American Psychological Association worked with DoD to identify two courses of action that might help. One is to increase confidentiality related to mental health treatment whenever possible, and the second is to conduct a public education campaign to help build resilience.


These are excellent places to start, and MOAA applauds the idea of shifting cultural attitudes. But persuading active duty military personnel that there’s nothing shameful about seeking mental health care will take strong action on many fronts, including commitment and leadership from defense leaders at all levels, removing institutional barriers to seeking treatment, and educating servicemembers themselves. Peer support and advice is a critical component that should be encouraged; there is no better advocate than someone who has been there.


It’s hard to know what impact the violence inflicted by September’s Navy Yard shooter — allegedly because of undetected mental instability — will have on progress made in this area. Confidentiality always has been a problem with this issue, and the recent tragedy complicates the matter.


The new resiliency efforts, which encourage servicemembers and their families to build productive coping skills, hold great promise. If we make mental health care as routine as getting a physical, perhaps more servicemembers will be willing to seek help.


— Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN (Ret)


 


*online: View complete video of the Warrior-Family Symposium at www.moaa.org/wfs2013.


14 MILITARY OFFICER NOVEMBER 2013

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