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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.

You also may be interested in...

DHA Publication
Nov 28, 2023

DHA Policy Memo: #23-014, Military Medical Treatment Facility Management of Self-Initiated Referral Process for Mental Health Evaluations of Service Members

.PDF | 176.30 KB
Provides information and guidance on military medical treatment facility procedures for a process that enables Service members to trigger a referral on their own for a mental health evaluation through a commanding officer or supervisor in a grade above E-5.
  • Identification #: 23-014
  • Type: DHA Policy Memo
Article
Nov 22, 2023

Ask the Doc: Mental Health Tips for You or a Loved One

Ask the Doc: Mental Health Tips for You or a Loved One

In this edition of Ask the Doc, we get expert advice from retired U.S. Public Health Service Capt. (Dr.) Joshua Morganstein, deputy director at the Center for Study of Traumatic Stress in the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences and vice chair of the University’s department of psychiatry, on ways to address mental health concerns when you, ...

Article Around MHS
Oct 26, 2023

One Team, One Mission: Nurses Supplement Active Duty Medical Personnel at Ramstein Air Base

U.S. Air Force aeromedical evacuation technicians and a nurse gather for a pre-brief before clinical simulator training at Ramstein Air Base

Two mental health nurses assigned to the 911th Aeromedical Staging Squadron trained with the Deployment Transition Center and the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron from July 13 to Aug. 5, 2023, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. During that time, U.S. Army Maj. Matthew Waller and U.S. Army Maj. Anthony Niederriter brought the skills and perspectives of ...

Article Around MHS
Oct 17, 2023

Military Life is Stressful; Depression Screening Can Bring Help

Feeling down, hopeless, tired, irritable, or having trouble concentrating? When you feel more than just sad, getting screened and seeking support and treatment for depression can help reduce the intensity and duration of symptoms. Many resources are available for service members, family members, civilians, retirees, and veterans. (Illustration by Joyce Kopatch/ Defense Centers for Public Health)

Military members and their families experience unique stressors associated with military life. This stress may influence psychological and social well-being and contribute to behavioral health symptoms, which can include depression. During the annual Periodic Health Assessment, service members are screened for depression as well as deployment-related ...

Article Around MHS
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.

Last Updated: April 22, 2024
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