全球智库信息集成服务系统

Key Findings

1. Mental health stigma is a dynamic process that happens when a person interacts with other people in public, institutional, social, and individual contexts and the person perceives or internalizes a negative image about herself, himself, or people with mental disorders.
2. Most of the stigma-reduction programs currently implemented by DoD target stigma in the public context (e.g., the Real Warriors Campaign targets all service members).
3. Current DoD stigma-reduction efforts are aligned with best practices and may be contributing to a decline in stigma, as reported by service members.
4. Some policies support universal educational stigma- reduction programs for all service members but do not support more-targeted programs for those already seeking mental health treatment, even though those seeking treatment report the highest levels of stigma.
5. Tensions exist between policies that protect the privacy of service members seeking mental health treatment (i.e., confidentiality) and the need for commanders to assess unit and individual fitness such that service members may question whether they can seek care confidentially.

When facing mental health problems, many service members choose not to seek needed help because of the stigma associated with mental health disorders and treatment. Not seeking appropriate mental health care can negatively impact the quality of life and the social, emotional, and cognitive functioning of affected service members. The stigma of seeking mental health treatment in the military persists despite the efforts of both the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the Veterans Health Administration to enhance mental health services. The service branches have been actively engaged in developing policies, programs, and campaigns to reduce stigma and increase service members' help-seeking behavior.