Eisha Rao

Mrs. McMennamy
Capstone - period 5
3 November 2016
Mental Health in the Military
It is important that we analyze the mental disorders associated with physical injuries
caused by serving time in the military in order to raise awareness of the stigmatization of the
disabled that is present in our society as well as encourage the public to take action to prevent
these stigmas from occurring.
There is a significant amount of risk factors present during the time of active duty that
can trigger mental illness. Areas of active combat are host to many stressors which can trigger
mental disorders later in life. General stressors that are common to most deployments include
uncertainty, isolation, separation, danger, fatigue, and changes in way of life.14 These are
compounded by the horrors that soldiers witness while serving in the military, which can include
disasters, child and spousal abuse, exposure to dead bodies, and constant vulnerability to death.5
These factors all contribute to mental illness after returning home, the most prevalent of which
are post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder, and anxiety. In fact, a study
conducted on veterans who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan showed that 19.1 and 11.3% of
returnees from each country respectively tested positive for PTSD, depression, suicidal
thoughts/tendencies, and manifestation of aggressive behavior.2 This rate is staggering. Veterans
have reported experiencing stress even after returning home. In a survey asking veterans what
the positive and negative consequences of serving in the military were, 9.0% of those surveyed
cited deterioration of relationships and 5.3% of veterans noticed a personal change for the

worse.14 Combat stress often also leads to secondary traumatization of a soldiers family,
particularly his/her spouse and child.11 While the percentage of individuals who experience
mental illness following deployment seems somewhat insignificant, the presence of mental
illness in a family can cause notable strain. Left untreated, mental disorders can deteriorate an
individuals quality of life, primarily in their work and family circles.
The stigmatization of mental disorders present in modern society often prevents veterans
from seeking treatment. There are three general themes, or guidelines which the public holds
individuals with a mental illness to. The first of these is authoritarianism, in which the
disordered individual is seen as in control of their illness but are simple not responsible enough
to deal with it.9 The second theme is fear and exclusion, in which individuals struggling with
mental issues should be quarantined from society.9 The last theme is benevolence, in which
those with mental disorders are treated as childlike and in need of help.9 Additionally, in a study
of vignettes depicting varying psychological diseases to assess the publics image of mental
health issues, nearly half of participants said that they would want to distance themselves from
an individual with major depressive disorder.9 This is the opposite of what an individual with
depression needs. The overall fear and stigmatization of those with mental disorders by the
majority of the public plays a significant role in influencing a veteran to not seek treatment.
When researchers surveyed veterans and their spouses to learn about the barriers to seeking
treatment, 20.5% said that they would feel embarrassed and 22.4% said that they would not want
to be perceived as weak.5 The lack of treatment coupled with daily stresses, such as ones family
and work, can lead to a deeper manifestation of the mental disease, thus preventing ordinary
function. Therefore, it is important that the general public is made aware of and work to eradicate
these stigmas so that veterans feel more encouraged to seek treatment for their condition.

There are several organizations and programs that are dedicated to aiding veterans with
mental illnesses and their families. Many of these are funded by the Department of Defense
(DoD), including Families Overcoming Under Stress, or FOCUS, which is an organization
dedicated to providing families with services and referrals in cases of substance abuse and other
related mental health issues.11 However, these programs are not being taken advantage of to their
fullest. As mentioned before, veterans often feel too ashamed to seek treatment because of the
stigmas surrounding their conditions. To put this into perspective, of the soldiers that have a
mental disorder, only 38 to 45% of individuals reported an interest in seeking professional help,
and only 23% to 40% of veterans actually followed through with this interest.9 This means that a
large majority of veterans are not receiving treatment for their mental disorders, causing them to
have to overcome the situation on their own. This can often amplify a disease as well as put
pressures on an individuals immediate community. Additionally, the DoD conducts a survey
every four years to assess the mental and physical fitness of those working in the military. As
seen in the 2008 survey, mental health has greatly declined in recent decades, with rates of
attempted suicides, heavy alcohol use, and need for further depression/anxiety consults greatly
increasing.2 As such, it is extremely important that we work to eliminate the stigmas surrounded
mental health, particularly in the military, so that these trends can be curbed.
As a whole, mental health in the military is a continually pressing issue. While many
aspects of treating physical injuries have already been addressed, mental illnesses in veterans
continue to increase because of the negative stigmas associated with mental disorders. As a
community, we must work to eliminate such stigmas so that veterans are more motivated to
receive the proper treatment and care.

Works Cited
1. Greene-Shortridge T, Britt T, Castro C. The Stigma of Mental Health Problems in the Military.
Military Medicine. 2007;172(2):157-161. doi:10.7205/milmed.172.2.157.
2. Eaton K, Hoge C, Messer S et al. Prevalence of Mental Health Problems, Treatment Need, and
Barriers to Care among Primary Care-Seeking Spouses of Military Service Members
Involved in Iraq and Afghanistan Deployments. Military Medicine. 2008;173(11):10511056. doi:10.7205/milmed.173.11.1051.
3. Erbes C, Westermeyer J, Engdahl B, Johnsen E. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Service
Utilization in a Sample of Service Members from Iraq and Afghanistan. Military Medicine.
2007;172(4):359-363. doi:10.7205/milmed.172.4.359.
4. Lester P, Mogil C, Saltzman W et al. Families Overcoming Under Stress: Implementing
Family-Centered Prevention for Military Families Facing Wartime Deployments and
Combat Operational Stress. Military Medicine. 2011;176(1):19-25. doi:10.7205/milmed-d10-00122.
5. Newby J, McCarroll J, Ursano R, Fan Z, Shigemura J, Tucker-Harris Y. Positive and Negative
Consequences of a Military Deployment. Military Medicine. 2005;170(10):815-819.
doi:10.7205/milmed.170.10.815.
6. Bray R, Pemberton M, Lane M, Hourani L, Mattiko M, Babeu L. Substance Use and Mental
Health Trends Among U.S. Military Active Duty Personnel: Key Findings From the 2008
DoD Health Behavior Survey. Military Medicine. 2010;175(6):390-399.
doi:10.7205/milmed-d-09-00132.