In October of 2019, Military Times released an article titled ‘Why the military should treat mental health the same as physical health.’ It was one of those times where you see a headline, and you stop everything to read it right away. Discussions and change in this area are crucial to keeping our soldiers alive.

The article starts with a quote that rings true for most service members. ”If you go to mental health, that will be the end of your career.” This is the mindset which starts the downhill spiral of isolation, loneliness, depression and ultimately, suicide.

You’ve seen the numbers…

  • In 2017, there were 1,397 non-fatal suicide attempts by active-duty service members.
  • Over half of the members lost to suicide had seen a health care professional within the previous 90 days. 
  • The three military campaigns since 2001 have resulted in 6,828 lives lost to combat; yet since 2006, over 3,400 active duty military members have died by their own hands. 

Service members are avoiding assistance for fear of consequences to their careers. We echo the contributor’s call for updated policies, establishing trust that service members’ mental health will be treated with the same dignity and understanding that physical health is treated. Without change, lives will continue to be lost.

Thank you to Military Times contributors, Sloan Fischer, Army wife, and Thomas Weisner, Retired Air Force POL, for bringing much-needed attention to this issue.

We encourage you to read the full article at this link. 

Source: https://www.militarytimes.com/opinion/commentary/2019/10/22/why-the-military-should-treat-mental-health-the-same-as-physical-health/