Mental health: priority before and after deployment

  • Published
  • By Meredith March
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --  When Airmen receive deployment assignments, they become responsible for completing an out-processing checklist, putting their legal and financial affairs in order, acquiring essential uniform items and weapons and being fit to fight. 

Deploying Airmen are also required to meet with a Mental Health Clinic technician to prepare for the mental and emotional challenges they may face as a result of deployment. 

Deployed troops often struggle with leaving families behind, concern for their own and their colleagues' safety and the life-threatening experiences that can occur during a deployment, said Senior Airman Abbey Brown, 66th Medical Operations Squadron, mental health technician and Suicide Prevention program manager. 

The strains of deployment can lead to combat stress. Depending on the nature of servicemembers' deployment experiences, the chance can be high that they will experience some combat stress symptoms. More than 90 percent of servicemembers who serve 30 days or more in high-intensity conditions can experience some degree of combat stress reaction, Airman Brown said. 

Although combat stress is commonly less pernicious than Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, it can have significant and sometimes debilitating effects on servicemembers' physical and mental health. To ensure that they are healthy and fit for duty, servicemembers must address combat stress, Airman Brown said. 

Physical effects of combat stress include headaches, gastrointestinal distress and sleeping troubles. Combat stress symptoms can also affect a person's memory, ability to relax or rest, attention span and ability to concentrate. Emotional symptoms can include anger, detachment and emotional numbness. Some people may have one symptom, and others may have several, Airman Brown said.

"It doesn't matter what they saw or where they were, that kind of stress affects people differently. It's normal. In the pre-exposure interview, we educate people about combat stress and normalize it for them so if it happens to them, they can understand it and know where to go to manage it properly," Airman Brown said. "We explain that it can happen to any of us. We also encourage people to practice good sleep hygiene -- not drinking any caffeine or exercising for four hours before bedtime, for example -- and communicate with their families. Those things can definitely reduce their stress." 

As part of their re-processing checklist when they return from deployments, servicemembers are required to fill out a Post-Deployment Health Risk Assessment. 

The survey includes questions about whether or not they are able to relax, how well and how much they are sleeping, if they are having recurring nightmares and how they are getting along with their families, Airman Brown said. If any answers indicate that an individual may be suffering from combat stress, a mental health technician will follow up with a telephone screening and, if necessary, provide the individual with information on how to get help. 

"We just screen them to make sure they're not experiencing signs of stress. Some people may not want to come in, because they think, 'If I'm experiencing these things, I'm going to be in trouble. They won't get in trouble; it's okay to ask for help. Combat stress is a fixable problem and the sooner people address it, the sooner they can get on with life and back to their old selves," Airman Brown said. 

One option available to servicemembers is Combat Stress Management Services at the Mental Health Clinic. These services are confidential. Except for certain extreme circumstances, what people talk about and even the fact that they are using Mental Health services is confidential. Commanders and first sergeants have the right to ask if one of their troops is being seen, but they are considerate about servicemembers' privacy, and rarely do. 

"All we can usually tell a commander or first sergeant is whether their troop is fit for duty and if they attended their appointment," Airman Brown said. 

"The Air Force sent you over there -- let the Air Force take care of you when you get back. You'd go to the hospital if you were having headaches because of your deployment -- come to the Mental Health Clinic if you're having any combat stress symptoms." 

Although Hanscom is currently fourth in Air Force Materiel Command for PDHRAs conducted, Airman Brown would like to see even higher numbers. "If a unit would like me to come to their office for pre-exposure training or to educate them on how to deal with combat stress, I will be happy to do that," she said. "Statistics show the importance of prevention. If we can educate you before you go, and you get the services you need when you come back, the likelihood of combat stress having a long-term impact on you is going to be so much less. You will know it's possible and normal and you'll be prepared for it. We get training on how to use weapons and how to wear our uniforms and how to convoy -- we want to train you to be able to handle combat stress. It's the same thing." 

The Mental Health Clinic is located in building 1217, and is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, or to make an appointment, call (781) 377-4791. 

Active-duty, Guard and Reserve servicemembers and their dependents can also contact Military OneSource for free consultation and counseling services. Military OneSource can be reached by calling (800) 342-9647 or visiting www.militaryonesource.com. 

Servicemembers with combat-related issues can also contact the VA at (781) 687-2000.
Services are also available for civilians experiencing mental health issues. Call the Federal Occupational Health Employee Assistance Program at (800) 462-1812 or visit www.foh4you.com for more information.