
National Mental Health Awareness Month
Since 1949, May has been observed as National Mental Health Awareness Month, an opportunity to bring about greater awareness of psychological health concerns and conditions, to offer support for those who are living with these conditions, and to promote increased access to care and treatment. This month, the Military Health System, as well as agencies and leaders across the Defense Department (DoD) are emphasizing the importance of mental health and sharing mental health resources available to our military communities.
Mental health, or psychological health, encompasses the well-being of mind, body and spirit, and contributes to overall health and resilience. Concerns affecting the functioning, readiness and optimal health of our nation’s returning service members and their families (i.e., adjustment, depression, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and substance misuse) have caused military leadership to search for answers to improve understanding, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Help Us Share the Message
For Mental Health Awareness Month, the Psychological Health Center of Excellence will share weekly posts to help you understand the psychological science behind military truisms, jargon and lore. We’ll highlight a variety of military slang that you’ve heard and what they really mean. Stay connected to find out all this and more in May!
We hope you’ll open your mind and follow us this month on Facebook and at Twitter #MilPsychJargon
Check back here on the dates below to see our latest updates!
Mental Health Blogs
- April 26: Let’s Talk About It! Use PHCoE’s Mental Health Awareness Month Campaign in Your Commands and Clinics
- May 01: Managing Suicide Risk and Access to Firearms: Guidelines for Providers
- May 08: Essential Skills for Military Psychologists: 9 Tips for Communicating with Commands
- May 10: OASIS Residential PTSD Treatment: It Does Exist!
- May 15: Female Service Members and Their Mental Health
- May 22: Cultural Competence in Mental Health Treatment: What Do You Call a Military Patient?
- May 30: Impact of Rank in Psychotherapy
Downloads/Social Media
- May 02: Semper Gumby
- May 04: Wave Off
- May 09: The Wizard
- May 11: Soldier On
- May 16: Got Your Six
- May 18: Checkup From The Neck Up
- May 23: Hurry Up and Wait
- May 25:Mandatory Fun
- May 30: Pick Your Battles