New Army regs vague on how to remove stigma of seeking help

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New Army regs vague on how to remove stigma of seeking help
By Megan McCloskey, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, December 11, 2009

WASHINGTON — Earlier this year, a stateside Army unit issued a policy requiring soldiers deemed at risk of committing suicide to wear reflective vests with signs identifying them as troubled.

No Army regulation prohibited it. In fact, the Army offered little instruction for commanders on the stigma of seeking mental health care.

“The unit was trying to do the right thing and it had unintended consequences,” said Col. Chris Philbrick, deputy director of the Army’s Suicide Prevention Task Force.

New regulations and guidelines put into effect this fall after a wide-ranging four-month review by the suicide task force acknowledge stigma’s damaging effects. The Army for the first time has put on paper a formal policy regarding stigma, yet beyond prohibiting the singling out of soldiers using special clothes or markings, the regulations provide few specifics on how it should be carried out.

“It’s not prescriptive in that regard,” said Philbrick, adding the updates were more about “tightening up the message” and ensuring “everyone understands the standards.”


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=66594