Mental wellness critical to joy of life

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Meshawn Guevara
  • 56th Medical Group
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  One in every four people in the world struggle with a treatable mental health disorder. The most important word in the sentence is "treatable."

Identifying those who need help may be the biggest challenge. Each person should be asking these or similar questions, "Is there a coworker struggling with life stressors. Is there a young Airman having difficulties?" The answer is, all too often, yes. But, there is something each of us can do.

Life isn't easy and what may seem to be a small thing to one person may be overwhelming to another. It takes being a wingman, supervisor or leader to step in, educate others about mental wellness and how to spot the signs in others. Instead of ignoring them, taking steps to help and encourage can make a difference in someone's life to get mentally healthy.

For some there is a stigma attached to seeking mental wellness and pride or misconceptions could stand in the way of the person getting the needed help.

"I don't want to go to the behavioral health clinic, because I'll be embarrassed. I don't want to go to the a drug program, because they'll think I have a problem, and I don't want to go to the family advocacy program, because I don't want to be associated with domestic violence."

These are some of the thoughts that may cross a service member's mind and one result is that people work hard to hide what's going on internally. "He's one of my best troops," or "I had no idea" are typical responses from leadership upon hearing about a patient's condition. But, the 56th Medical Group Behavioral Health Flight offers a variety of preventive services that could make the difference in a person's life.

Mental health, what does it all mean? Mental wellness is being healthy and requires taking care of the mind just as a person takes care of the body. Everyday life stresses can build up and if not dealt with appropriately, can be mentally draining affecting the ability to rest and concentrate, reducing energy, and negatively impacting relationships. Enjoying life to the fullest is somewhat dependent on having good mental health.

The 56th MDG Behavioral Health Flight offers help to combat stress and improve overall wellness by building internal mental resiliency so a person can achieve his or her full potential and bounce back from difficult times and challenges. Talk with a trustworthy source -- spouse, coworker, supervisor or chaplain and be willing to get the available help.

The behavioral health clinic provides individual or marital counseling, alcohol and drug abuse prevention, treatment and counseling, a family advocacy program, stress management groups, or anger management groups.

For more information, call Sergeant Guevara at (623) 856-7579.