Thread by @justjsides

One of the most common anonymous posts I see in the military spouse FB groups is the reluctance of a spouse to seek mental health treatment because of fear it will hurt their SM’s career. Not only has the Army created an environment where SMs are afraid to 1/

seek help, it has also allowed this same fear to harm their families as well. Many spouses are afraid seeking help will limit their ability to PCS. I’ve seen posts where spouses have discussed whether or not they should take their medication and for how long if they are 2/

trying to go OCONUS. Horrifyingly, I’ve even seen discussion about whether or not having their children treated for something is a good idea based on it limiting where they can PCS. I’ve seen spouses worry about what their SM’s chain of command will think about them needing 3/

additional support with their mental health. And who could blame them? In a worldwide pandemic, Army leadership showed little effort to consider the impact the pandemic was having on spouses. The normal strain of Army life was exacerbated with fewer resources available 4/

and increased uncertainty. Except for a few short months of what amounted to posturing, the Army’s commitment to supporting families through this past year of uncertainty has been incredibly inept. OPTEMPO even increased for some to make up for the months 5/

when trainings were canceled. Army families were more isolated from extended family than ever, were in some cases virtual schooling, and also dealing with closed childcare facilities. The toll on spouses has proven to be intense. If Army leaders couldn’t see 6/

the increased stress and strain for families going on right in front of their faces and then react with sincere measures to help, well it’s easy to see why both spouses and SMs are reluctant to seek help on their own. 7/

If you’re Army leadership and in the past year you didn’t cancel any event that really should have been canceled when weighed against the realities of a pandemic then you’re part of the problem. If you’re leadership and you didn’t allow SMs more time at home to help their 8/

spouses with additional pandemic-causes parenting responsibilities then you’re part of the problem. If you’re leadership and people under you question how supportive you would be of them or their spouses needing support with a mental health concern then you’re definitely 9/

part of the problem. So much of this suffering is avoidable, but it will take more than #peoplefirst talking points to make a meaningful change. No one should be afraid to seek help for a mental health concern. 10/10