Operation Just Cause... ...for as long as it takes
By Douglas J. Gillert
WASHINGTON -- On the heels of the first White House Conference
on Mental Health, DoD has launched two new initiatives aimed at
reducing stress and suicide among service members and their
families.
President Clinton announced the new DoD programs June 7. The
first is designed to help service members and their families
learn to manage stress associated with frequent deployments,
family separations and other life issues. The second initiative
tackles the issues of suicide.
A new DoD directive requires that all service members and health
care providers receive training in combat stress control and
assigns a mental health consultant to each unified command
surgeon. A reinvigorated suicide prevention program will
identify and implement the best practices from among the service
departments, integrate the delivery of mental health services
between agencies and develop a robust data base to guide program
planning and implementation.
Both initiatives call for greater support from line commanders.
The two initiatives require similar resources, said Dr. Sue
Bailey, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. She
said DoD's goal is to strengthen and unify programs the services
already have. Moreover, she added, DoD wants to remove the
stigma often associated with mental health difficulties.
"It's an issue for society as a whole. There has been stigma
associated with any mental illness or emotional disturbance.
Particularly, we're looking at cultural change in the military,"
Bailey said. Commanders must be involved so troubled people know
they can step forward and seek help without threatening their
careers, she said.
Increasing peoples' ability to cope with stress requires an
openness that could conflict with an individual's need for
privacy, Bailey admitted. But it's important commanders and
supervisors know if somebody under their command is suffering
emotional problems, particularly if that person's job involves
individual, organizational or national security, she said.
The services' have programs to help members recover. While in
them, service members may need a job change or duty
restrictions, but with successful treatment they can usually
return to their old jobs, Bailey said.
There is no return from suicide, however. Bailey said she's
encouraged by an Air Force prevention plan that has reduced
suicides by four-fifths.
"The average suicide rate for the military is 12 per 100,000
people," she said. "In the Air Force program, we found that in
the first six months of 1999, the rates came down from about 15
per 100,000 to 3 per 100,000. So we're seeing what we think are
real positive results from the program they've initiated."
The Air Force suicide prevention program focuses greatly on
community involvement, Bailey said. Mental health professionals
counsel and support troubled people, but so does the entire
community, including churches, schools, family services and
others, by forming a circle of help to rescue somebody from the
turmoil of emotional and mental despair, she said.
DoD's program will build on the Air Force's and blend in the
best practices of the other services' programs, Bailey said. "We
will work together to share our resources, experience and data,"
she said. Some aspects of the program will be uniform across
DoD, while others will be tailored to meet the needs of the
specific services or other groups, such as members of different
services who deploy together. The program will be fully
implemented by the end of 1999, Bailey said.
"National security depends on a military force that is healthy
and fit, both physically and mentally," Bailey said. She said
she's encouraged by a 1998 health behaviors survey that reveals
more service members are finding positive ways to deal with
stress.
"The survey indicates that service members are experiencing a
greater level of access to programs within the community and
through our medical system," she said. "They are also seeking
out things such as exercise as a means of coping with stress.
"There's an interesting phenomenon taking place in the military
today," Bailey said. "It used to be on a Friday night that
people went for happy hour and you couldn't get a parking place
at the club. Now, you can't find parking at the gym, because
they're looking for happier lives and they're looking the right
way."
Sent in by Veterans News and Information Services
American Forces Press Service
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