Litigation

Department of Defense Announces New Campaign to Remove Stigma of Seeking Assistance For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

By Michael Kaplen

Post-traumatic stress is a common problem among American service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. To combat the stigma that keeps some members of the military, veterans and their families from seeking needed psychological help, the Department of Defense launched the Real Warriors Campaign.  The campaign, themed "RealWarriors--Real Battles--Real Strength" is hosted by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCOE).

You can view the video from the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury

According to the Department of Defense, this multimedia public education effort makes reaching out easier by providing access to psychological health information and resources 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Individuals can chat online with psychological health coaches through the campaign website,  They may also reach out by calling the Outreach Center at 866-966-1020.

The Defense Department claims that this campaign is part of a larger effort "to ensure that warriors and their families can access necessary treatment for the invisible wounds of war as well as the visible wounds. Many service members and veterans deny themselves treatment for psychological wounds out of the fear that doing so would hurt their careers, embarrass them or harm their families."

Full post as published by Brain Injury News and Information on June 20, 2009 (boomark / email).