Mullen: mental health care is key
FORT DRUM — A deep concern of senior military officials as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan drag on is the mental health care that soldiers and spouses are receiving.
That concern was highlighted Monday by Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during his first-ever visit to Fort Drum. He met with spouses of deployed soldiers as well as lower-ranking enlisted troops at the base to discuss, among other things, the stigma that asking for help can have — especially in the military.
"We talked at reasonable length with spouses and we talked about removing the stigma and recognizing the extraordinary pressure our force is under and figuring out a way that we can say, 'It's OK, I need some help,'" Adm. Mullen said prior to the grand opening of the Behavioral Health Department's Wilcox facility on Fort Drum.
"We need to be making sure we take care of each other, particularly when we come back from time in combat, and that we reintegrate well," he said.
Adm. Mullen acknowledged the recent spike in soldier suicides. "I think that is a function of the pressure that we have put on the U.S. Army," he said.
Data released last week shows the suicide rate in the Army is at a three-decade high. There were 128 confirmed suicides in 2008 and 15 cases pending investigation, compared with 115 in 2007 and 102 in 2006. There were seven confirmed suicides in January and another 17 cases pending investigation — making suicide the No. 1 killer of soldiers last month.
No specific information on the number of 10th Mountain Division soldiers who committed suicide is available.
While Army suicides are up, medical officials on Fort Drum said they see a light at the end of the tunnel: an increase in the number of soldiers seeking help.
"The challenges with the global war on terror and multiple deployments certainly has not only taken its toll on our soldiers but also on our families," said Col. Jerome Penner III, the commander of the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity on Fort Drum.
"When the 1st Brigade came back from Iraq, we had 271 soldiers come forward even before they went through their reprocessing. ... They self-identified, so I think we are knocking that stigma down."
The new clinic on Fort Drum will provide additional behavioral health services to soldiers and family members on post, and has an extra 7,000 square feet to do it in. Col. Penner said he was proud that in the past year the post was able to bring in an additional 16 full-time mental health professionals.
The renovation and expansion cost $8.2 million and was started 18 months ago.
Adm. Mullen stressed that the increased suicide rate, not just in the Army but in all branches of the military, was not going unnoticed by those in leadership roles.
"We've got to work hard to meet the need and get ahead of the challenges that we have," he said during the grand opening of the clinic. "We are all in denial if we don't think we recognize the huge, huge stress we put on our force and our families. ... Leaders really need to address that, and address that upfront."
