Army orders use of term "behavioral health"

[Jason Perry]

Army Times:
"Army required to say ‘behavioral health’
Staff report
Posted : Friday Jun 26, 2009 16:10:33 EDT
The Pentagon issued a directive June 25 requiring Army commands at all levels to use the term “behavioral health services” when revising or updating policies, regulations, and documents relating to what heretofore have been called “mental” health services.

The directive, issued by the Office of the Surgeon General and G-3, supports an Army-wide campaign to foster an environment of reduced stigma for soldiers who seek mental health care.

The change in terminology is one of several initiatives included in the Campaign Plan for Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention launched by the Army in May.

Another initiative in the plan calls for mental health providers to be located in hospitals, rather than separate facilities.

Officials say the change will help soldiers avoid the stigma of entering a building known to house mental health services.

Chain teaching programs that support the campaign plan also encourage soldiers to seek mental health services when stressed or depressed, and for commanders and soldiers at all levels to reach out and help soldiers they believe to be in a troubled state."

 

[RikersIsland1]

Its a start.

 

[carnelli53]

Don't mean to sound critical here, nor do I want to come off as saying this is a bad thing, but this change in terminology reminds me of a monologue by the late and great George Carlin:

I don't like words that hide the truth. I don't like words that conceal reality. I don't like euphemisms, or euphemistic language.

And American English is loaded with euphemisms. Cause Americans have a lot of trouble dealing with reality. Americans have trouble facing the truth, so they invent the kind of a soft language to protect themselves from it, and it gets worse with every generation.

For some reason, it just keeps getting worse. I'll give you an example of that. There's a condition in combat. Most people know about it. It's when a fighting person's nervous system has been stressed to it's absolute peak and maximum. Can't take anymore input. The nervous system has either (click) snapped or is about to snap.

In the first world war, that condition was called shell shock. Simple, honest, direct language. Two syllables, shell shock. Almost sounds like the guns themselves. That was seventy years ago.

Then a whole generation went by and the second world war came along and very same combat condition was called battle fatigue. Four syllables now. Takes a little longer to say. Doesn't seem to hurt as much. Fatigue is a nicer word than shock. Shell shock! Battle Fatigue.

Then we had the war in Korea, 1950. Madison avenue was riding high by that time, and the very same combat condition was called operational exhaustion. Hey, were up to eight syllables now! And the humanity has been squeezed completely out of the phrase. It's totally sterile now. Operational exhaustion. Sounds like something that might happen to your car.

Then of course, came the war in Vietnam, which has only been over for about sixteen or seventeen years, and thanks to the lies and deceits surrounding that war, I guess it's no surprise that the very same condition was called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Still eight syllables, but we've added a hyphen! And the pain is completely buried under jargon. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

I'll bet you if we'd of still been calling it Shell Shock, some of those Vietnam veterans might have gotten the attention they needed at the time. I'll betcha. I'll betcha.

 

[Shamus62]

Going to have to agree with George (RIP). Changing the name or location of the doc isn't going to fix anything unless there is an underlying shift in attitudes.

 

[CarsonCF]

I have to agree mu y command has been repeatedly saying there is no stigma in our Bn over going to mental health but once you do you are segrigated and constantly being asked if you are ok only compounding the issues you have already