Fortunately, I’ve never felt like I needed any kind of mental healthcare during my time in the army. I’m doing pretty well, more or less satisfied with my life and career and hopeful for the future.

But we all know the stigma, probably the single biggest impediment to SMs in need of help. You know how the logic goes; in a high-stress environment where we regularly handle firearms, disclosing that you’re struggling with your mental health undermines your command’s and your peers’ trust in you. We’re expected to be resilient and incentivized to hide our cracks until it’s too late. This is to say nothing of the horror stories I’ve heard from those who do actually seek help from behavioral health or the VA, often at the hands of unqualified staff ill prepared to handle such issues.

The suicide prevention briefs I’ve sat through focus more on the indicators of suicidal ideation and whom you should call if you or someone you know fit that bill. Less talked about is the stigma itself, it’s not a circle the briefs want to square, probably out of reluctance to acknowledge that it exists. My own advice to anyone concerned about seeking help would be that, just as jumping out of planes will do a number on your back and knees, so too will all the stressors in life, be it family drama, marital problems, financial issues, etc, wear down your mind and soul. You’re not weak for getting help for a physical injury, and you’re not weak for getting help for a mental one.

So is seeking help in the military actually stigmatized or is it an unfounded concern based in superficial reasoning? Have you seen examples of it affecting someone’s career? And do you have, not just horror stories, but positive experiences with the mental health resources available to you in the military? Thanks for reading