The War Within: Confronting the Mental Health Crisis in Our Armed Forces

Having good mental health is just as important as having good physical health. Some would argue that mental health can actually be more important. When our mental health deteriorates, it has negative effects on the rest of our lives as well. This is true for everyone, but our military members and veterans have been proven to be more likely to develop mental health issues. Studies have shown that military members are much more susceptible to become victim to depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. In the last five years, over 500,000 active-duty members were diagnosed with mental health disorders. More than 40% of those people were diagnosed with more than one disorder.

The life of a military member is constantly stressful. Long and irregular working hours, high expectations, little to no recognition; all of these things contribute heavily to feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, anger problems, and in more severe situations thoughts of self-harm or suicide.  According to the VA in 2022 suicide was the 2nd leading cause of death in veterans under the age of 45, with an average of 17 veteran suicides per day.

I can speak from personal experience when I say that many veterans that suffer from mental health issues go untreated during their time in military service. While the stigma of seeing mental health professionals in the military is getting better, it does still exist. Many feel that if they seek treatment they will be ostracized by other members of their units, seen as weak, or even fear that they might be forced to separate from the military. These feelings exacerbate the issue in more than one way. Not only are these individuals not receiving the help they need, but those feelings compound each other and lead to worsened conditions.

While poor mental health is not a unique problem to the military, it is something that cannot be taken lightly. Check on those around you, military and civilian alike. If you start to notice symptoms of mental health problems, say something. Sometimes something as simple as saying “hi” can be enough to bring someone out of a mental health rut. Don’t be afraid to seek help, and don’t be afraid to help someone else.