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Cpl. Anthony Gray practices yoga with Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, April 13, 2018. Over 100 Marines and Sailors with MWHS-1 participated in this event in order to build camaraderie and unit cohesion. Gray, from Muscatine, Iowa, is an intelligence specialist with MWHS-1. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alexia Lythos)
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Military Health System Mental Health Hub

Mental Health is health. The Military Health System has many resources available to help service members, families, or veterans who are struggling with mental health challenges.

Military families' lives are generally very different from others. Service members may be subject to frequent relocations, deployments, and stressful experiences due to combat and time away from their families. Families cope with additional stressors when their loved ones are deployed, managing family life on the home front. Traumatic events such as combat, assault, or disasters can have long-lasting negative effects like trouble sleeping, increased anger, nightmares, anxiety, and alcohol and drug abuse.

Protecting, optimizing, and defending mental health needs is vital to the well-being and readiness of our military force. Seeking help is a sign of strength and a critical element of individual performance and overall readiness. 

Find Mental Health Services Near You

You are not alone.

If you're concerned that you or a loved one may be experiencing mental illness, you are not alone. Mental health is an important part of overall health and well-being, yet mental illness affects millions of people worldwide. Mental health disorders include anxiety, depression, seasonal affective disorder, or more serious illnesses as bipolar disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, and more. Unfortunately, most people with mental illness do not receive mental health services that they need.

Do what feels right for you.

There isn't one way to think or feel or act. The important thing is to take advantage of all mental health care resources. Remember that every moment in time can affect you and others differently. Treatment is available, and it's okay to ask for help.

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Oct 2, 2023

Suicide Care Prevention and Research Initiative at the Uniformed Services University Builds Interventions to Reduce Military Suicide

The Suicide Care, Prevention, and Research Initiative provides support for chaplains, spouses, military leadership, and other gatekeepers of service members. The program builds, scientifically tests, and implements suicide prevention programs by incorporating knowledge gained from service members who have died by suicide as well as those with suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors. (U.S. Army photo by Michele Wiencek)

While numerous programs work to develop strategies to lessen the national suicide rate, a standout in the military community is the Suicide Care, Prevention, and Research Initiative at the Uniformed Services University.

Article
Sep 18, 2023

Soldier Helps Save Life of Suicide Attempt Victim

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ta’ Quesha S. Abson, an instructor in the Practical Nurse Course Phase II at Walter Reed, was recently recognized for helping to save the life of a suicide-attempt victim while she was on temporary duty assignment at Fort Liberty, North Carolina in August. (Courtesy Photo)

August 8 began like most days for U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ta’ Quesha S. Abson as she headed to work to fulfill her military duties. But as fate would have it, the day was far from usual for her. It would be the day that her actions helped save a life.

Article
Sep 15, 2023

Preventing Suicide Through Social Connectedness

Suicide is a significant public health issue that impacts individuals, families, communities and society at large. Many risk and protective factors play an integral role in the prevention of suicide, including social connectedness, which occurs when people or groups are engaged in relationships that create a sense of belonging and being cared for, valued and supported. (Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen graphic illustration by Jason Embrey)

Suicide is a significant public health issue that impacts individuals, families, communities and society at large. The issue is also tied to what the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vevek Murthy, called an “Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation” in a May health advisory that calls for a National Strategy to Advance Social Connection.

Article
Sep 7, 2023

Dog Jog for Life: Unlocking the Power of Pets in Suicide Prevention

For Suicide Prevention Month, emphasize the importance of escorting individuals in need to the best available help, ensuring they receive the assistance they require. However, in our efforts to support human lives, we sometimes overlook a remarkable source of solace and strength—our pets.  (Photo By Russell Jordan)

A U.S. Army public affairs officer highlights the importance of dogs in mental health while promoting "Dog Jog for Life," an event that embodies the spirit of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention at U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz. “Our dogs often understand our moods better than we do ourselves. They offer us empathy, share in our ...

Article
Jul 25, 2023

Defense Public Health Experts Investigate If Minority Group Service Members are More Likely to Experience Behavioral Health Problems

A recent Department of Defense study found American Indian and Alaska Native U.S. Army Soldiers had higher rates of suicidal ideation than white soldiers. The DOD is investigating behavioral health disparities among minority groups in the military to see how they might mirror similar disparities in the civilian population. (Graphic illustration: Steven Basso, Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen)

U.S. public health agencies such as the National Institute of Mental Health have recognized that certain minority groups appear to experience greater risk for certain behavioral health disorders. The higher rates of adverse health problems in minority groups are often referred to as “disparities.”

Article
Jul 18, 2023

Tips for Managing Post-PCS Stress

PCS Stress inforgraphic

Moving season is in full swing for many military families. The process of a Permanent Change of Station, or PCS, can be both exciting and stressful. We've got some tips to help ease the rigors of relocation.

Article
Jul 18, 2023

Creature Comfort at Sea

Sage, a 3-year-old Labrador retriever, has been specially trained to help sailors cope with stress associated with deployment, providing comfort and morale boosts as part of the ship's warfighter toughness mental health and resiliency team.

When the Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier set off last month on its second deployment, it carried something both familiar and entirely novel: Sage the Labrador retriever!

Last Updated: October 16, 2024
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