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Post Traumatic Stress Disorders

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Post Traumatic Stress Disorders
POSITION PAPER

ON

WHAT CAN THE MILITARY DO TO ERADICATE THE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH SEEKING HELP MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES?

1. The military is plagued with a problem of having a stigma surrounding getting mental health assistance. The military should establish better awareness and better self-care tools for unit members who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) so they can get help without fear of judgement. Additionally, the military should focus on more effective mental health screening techniques such as hiring in house mental health providers that build a trust for unit members. These solutions would alleviate the fear of negative impacts on the unit member.

2. The military profession can impart a great deal of stress upon …show more content…
PTSD is one of the more highlighted forms of duty related mental health issues. (*3) Between January and June 2012 there were 15,000 cases of PTSD were reported. (*3) Currently, service members are embracing online self-management instead of getting professionally seen to avoid others from knowing about their treatment. (*1) But, the self-healing tools are limited and difficult to find. Dr. Acosta from RAND corporation recommends that the military invest in and design an internet based tool box to equip those who want self-help. (*1) In doing this, it would encourage them to at least follow guidance provided by professional sources. A common problem with mental health clinics is getting seen shortly after your mental issues start. The solution to this would be to hire more mental health doctors because this would alleviate increased waiting periods, encourage them to continue frequent treatment, and to follow up on successes of prescribed medication. …show more content…
CONCLUSION EXTREMEMLY CLEAR ON WHERE YOU STAND. Make it exactly like intro.
As members of a professional military force, unit members should stand beside the men and women in the profession of arms and abolish the stigma that surrounds getting mental help. Our military will battle PTSD by providing more effective self-care tools and awareness. Finally, the most effective measure to battle the stigma surrounding getting mental help would be to supply unit level mental health representatives. Unit members would have accessible measures to get aide and be able to build up enough trust to come forward to decrease suicidal tendencies.

The military is plagued with a problem of having a stigma surrounding getting mental health assistance. The military should establish better awareness and better self-care tools for unit members who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) so they can get help without fear of judgement. Additionally, the military should focus on more effective mental health screening techniques such as hiring in house mental health providers that build a trust for unit members. These solutions would alleviate the fear of negative impacts on the unit
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