Combatting Mental Health Trauma and The Impact on Sailors at Sea
The MOC
Photo by Patrick Semales/U.S. Navy.
By
John Bui
October 26, 2022
The number of veterans receiving mental health care have increased by 90% from fiscal year 2006-2019, as reported by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) from the Department of Veteran Affairs. Suicide prevention remains a number one priority for Veteran Affairs (VA), as the VA projects a 32% increase in outpatient mental health care over the next 10 years. From the affairs budgeting standpoint, the budget for mental health has seen a drastic increase from $2.4 to $8.9 billion.
Approximately 180 days after the enactment of Section 535 under the 2021 NDAA, activities on capitol hill commenced as the Senate Arms Services Committee and the House were briefed on the key points of mental health services for military personnel. These points included the support services available, and services currently being used by naval personnel, mechanisms to reduce stigma, and the assessment of the feasibility, availability for personnel to receive mental health treatment in between assignments, and cases to reduce the effects of vicarious trauma.
Sailors face several barriers to mental health treatment, including long wait times and travel distances, but much of the problem is attributed to the idea of stigma. A study surrounding Stigma as a Barrier to Seeking Health Care Among Military Personnel with Mental Health Problems, conducted by the Epidemiologic Reviews, suggested that approximately 60% of military personnel who experience mental health problems do not seek help, yet many of them could benefit from professional treatment.
The prevalence of troops serving who suffer from PTSD and alcoholism is roughly 43%. Thus, stigma is a huge factor as some associate receiving mental health treatment to feelings of shame, inadequacy, and a low sense of self-worth.
The main issue is that there is a correlation between servicemembers receiving mental health treatment and their unit leadership treating them differently. The study showed that 44% of the population saw this stigma item associated with their barriers to treatment. 42.9% were seen as weak and 41.3% reported as not confident as represented in the Perceived Stigma and Barriers to Care for Psychological Problems-Stigma Subscale.
With the root cause being stigma, we should ask ourselves what can be done? Numbers have shown a great amount of funds being poured into more mental health services through the accessibility and coverage by TRICARE insurance, however, the tale of two sailors perhaps could uncover to us that a resolution goes beyond just accessibility to these treatment and service options.
Master Chief Petty Officer Falke suggested that there needs to be an increase in the education of the Navy’s leadership through the lens of emotional intelligence (EQ), focusing on the five pillars of self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, the ability to understand and motivate self and others, and social skills with emphasis on the utilization of self-breathing and emotional regulation. It all starts with leadership. Bridging the gap between EQ education amongst Navy leadership and sailors could certainly draw the two closer, enabling leadership to better understand and support the sailors through their mental health challenges.
Commander Matthew D.W. Phillips delivers a two-pronged approach to combating the mental challenges faced at sea by sailors through peer-to-peer support and with the help of mental health professionals in the service in his piece from the Navy Times. There is common ground between sailors and the mental health workers on the ship as they both can resonate with the day-to-day mental struggles and feelings of isolation. Through this resonation, there is a sense of true empathy and understanding to strengthen the bond and open up dialogue about their mental health challenges.
Another approach is using service mental health professionals as the supporting arm to further assist the sailors in removing mental impediments and enable them to be even more self-sufficient in regulating their emotions and coping with PTSD. Furthermore, sailors can call the Military Crisis Line at (800) 273-8255. It’s free and confidential, serving all veterans, service members (active, guard, and reserves), and their family and friends. Another service available to active, guard, and reserve service members and their families is the free, face-to-face, confidential, non-medical counseling offered by Military OneSource at (800) 342-9647.
Up to this point, it appears that from a policy perspective; the budget seems to be appropriately spread across mental health service delivery, but at a deeper level, stigma emphasized by feelings of weakness and inadequacy still need to be addressed through the depths of programming and training around emotional intelligence with the support and coaching of the service’s mental health professionals.
Piloting a training program within the mental health division of the Navy will help sailors become self-sufficient in deploying therapeutic strategies of emotional regulation to effectively address their trauma and mental health matters. Additionally, the Navy should not solely rely on Armed Services-wide mental health programs. Certainly, sailors may face general mental health challenges in relation to PTSD like other armed service personnel, however this is not a one size fits all intervention and there may be specific mental health criteria that are specific to the navy. For this reason, utilizing resources from the Psychological Health Outreach Program (PHOP); such as their PHOP counselors can be helpful for sailors. PHOP counselors offer support to all Navy Reserve Centers and Navy Reserve Sailors across the country. PHOP provides consultation, education, and connection to resources.
John Bui holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of Maryland, College Park and is a mental health advocate. He currently works in the DC Federal Consulting space.
The views expressed in this piece are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Center for Maritime Strategy or other institutions listed.
Center for Maritime Strategy
By John Bui
The number of veterans receiving mental health care have increased by 90% from fiscal year 2006-2019, as reported by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) from the Department of Veteran Affairs. Suicide prevention remains a number one priority for Veteran Affairs (VA), as the VA projects a 32% increase in outpatient mental health care over the next 10 years. From the affairs budgeting standpoint, the budget for mental health has seen a drastic increase from $2.4 to $8.9 billion.
Approximately 180 days after the enactment of Section 535 under the 2021 NDAA, activities on capitol hill commenced as the Senate Arms Services Committee and the House were briefed on the key points of mental health services for military personnel. These points included the support services available, and services currently being used by naval personnel, mechanisms to reduce stigma, and the assessment of the feasibility, availability for personnel to receive mental health treatment in between assignments, and cases to reduce the effects of vicarious trauma.
Sailors face several barriers to mental health treatment, including long wait times and travel distances, but much of the problem is attributed to the idea of stigma. A study surrounding Stigma as a Barrier to Seeking Health Care Among Military Personnel with Mental Health Problems, conducted by the Epidemiologic Reviews, suggested that approximately 60% of military personnel who experience mental health problems do not seek help, yet many of them could benefit from professional treatment.
The prevalence of troops serving who suffer from PTSD and alcoholism is roughly 43%. Thus, stigma is a huge factor as some associate receiving mental health treatment to feelings of shame, inadequacy, and a low sense of self-worth.
The main issue is that there is a correlation between servicemembers receiving mental health treatment and their unit leadership treating them differently. The study showed that 44% of the population saw this stigma item associated with their barriers to treatment. 42.9% were seen as weak and 41.3% reported as not confident as represented in the Perceived Stigma and Barriers to Care for Psychological Problems-Stigma Subscale.
With the root cause being stigma, we should ask ourselves what can be done? Numbers have shown a great amount of funds being poured into more mental health services through the accessibility and coverage by TRICARE insurance, however, the tale of two sailors perhaps could uncover to us that a resolution goes beyond just accessibility to these treatment and service options.
Master Chief Petty Officer Ken Falke, U.S. Navy (Retired), speaks to the implications of self-regulation and emotional intelligence from the sailor’s perspective at sea as a means to cope with mental health challenges in his piece Struggle Well: A New Approach to Mental Health and Suicide from the U.S. Naval Institute.
Master Chief Petty Officer Falke suggested that there needs to be an increase in the education of the Navy’s leadership through the lens of emotional intelligence (EQ), focusing on the five pillars of self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, the ability to understand and motivate self and others, and social skills with emphasis on the utilization of self-breathing and emotional regulation. It all starts with leadership. Bridging the gap between EQ education amongst Navy leadership and sailors could certainly draw the two closer, enabling leadership to better understand and support the sailors through their mental health challenges.
Commander Matthew D.W. Phillips delivers a two-pronged approach to combating the mental challenges faced at sea by sailors through peer-to-peer support and with the help of mental health professionals in the service in his piece from the Navy Times. There is common ground between sailors and the mental health workers on the ship as they both can resonate with the day-to-day mental struggles and feelings of isolation. Through this resonation, there is a sense of true empathy and understanding to strengthen the bond and open up dialogue about their mental health challenges.
Another approach is using service mental health professionals as the supporting arm to further assist the sailors in removing mental impediments and enable them to be even more self-sufficient in regulating their emotions and coping with PTSD. Furthermore, sailors can call the Military Crisis Line at (800) 273-8255. It’s free and confidential, serving all veterans, service members (active, guard, and reserves), and their family and friends. Another service available to active, guard, and reserve service members and their families is the free, face-to-face, confidential, non-medical counseling offered by Military OneSource at (800) 342-9647.
Up to this point, it appears that from a policy perspective; the budget seems to be appropriately spread across mental health service delivery, but at a deeper level, stigma emphasized by feelings of weakness and inadequacy still need to be addressed through the depths of programming and training around emotional intelligence with the support and coaching of the service’s mental health professionals.
Piloting a training program within the mental health division of the Navy will help sailors become self-sufficient in deploying therapeutic strategies of emotional regulation to effectively address their trauma and mental health matters. Additionally, the Navy should not solely rely on Armed Services-wide mental health programs. Certainly, sailors may face general mental health challenges in relation to PTSD like other armed service personnel, however this is not a one size fits all intervention and there may be specific mental health criteria that are specific to the navy. For this reason, utilizing resources from the Psychological Health Outreach Program (PHOP); such as their PHOP counselors can be helpful for sailors. PHOP counselors offer support to all Navy Reserve Centers and Navy Reserve Sailors across the country. PHOP provides consultation, education, and connection to resources.
John Bui holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of Maryland, College Park and is a mental health advocate. He currently works in the DC Federal Consulting space.
The views expressed in this piece are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Center for Maritime Strategy or other institutions listed.