Anyone who has been in the military or knows someone understands how stressful it can be. This is one of the reasons why the military continues to deal with mental health problems and suicide in its ranks. Getting help was also a struggle. Spectrum news anchor and national mental health reporter Dr. Nicole Cross explores this issue and what’s being done to address it in our mental health segment this week.
Half of all lifelong mental illnesses begin by age 14, and 75% by age 24, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. This is also the same age group that most people join the military.
About 90% of new recruits are 24 years old or younger, according to the Department of Defense.
Between 2016 and 2020, nearly half a million active duty personnel were diagnosed with at least one mental disorder, according to Department of Defense data.
This issue has been long-standing, with barriers to people in the military receiving mental health treatment. This has led to the suicide of some service members, like Brandon Caserta, who jumped into the spinning rotor of a helicopter after repeated requests to see a therapist were ignored. The accident shocked his parents.
“We were amazed at the way Brandon died,” said Brandon’s mother, Terry Caserta.
Brandon’s father, Patrick Caserta, added, “He was a great kid, far from great and had a future ahead of him.”
Since Brandon’s death in 2018, Terry and Patrick Caserta have been on a mission to make sure no other service member suffers the same fate. They drafted and lobbied for its passage the Brandon Act, which allows service members to seek mental health treatment immediately, confidentially and without retaliation.
Counselor and veteran Rhonda Mack knows firsthand the stigma surrounding mental health in the military. Mack says implementing Brandon’s Law is a great step forward.
“Brandon Law, sitting here as a veteran, smiles at him because I wish he was available when I was on duty. We lost a service member in basic training when I was there. He was 18 and because of the stigma of asking for help, he felt he He can’t do it. We lost him. The Brandon Act being signed into law and enforced across the entire Army, makes me proud,” said Mack.
The Brandon Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. The Department of Defense implemented it in May 2023. Although there is more work to be done, advocates describe it as a game-changer.
There are also a number of mental health resources for veterans. They include:
- 988 Veterans Crisis Line
- OneSource Non-Military Medical Counseling Line 1-800-342-9647
- Mental Health Resource Center 1-866-966-1020
All available 24/7.
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