June 22, 2020 Taking care of AF frontline providers Air Force medics are on the front lines against COVID-19, and maintaining their mental well-being is critical to keeping them in the fight.
May 28, 2020 Embedded mental health essential during pandemic (Part 1) Embedded Air Force mental health professionals play a critical role in keeping Airmen mission ready, and during the COVID-19 pandemic they are even more important to maintaining readiness.
April 11, 2020 Importance of mental health Q&A's Between rising COVID-19 concerns and mandatory health precautions in effect nationwide, there are many factors that can affect a person's mental health.
March 26, 2020 Mental health maintenance essential in times like these The combination of physical isolation and social distancing can have varying impacts on mental health, and officials from the 66th Medical Squadron are offering tips to keep mental health in check. Anxiety and depression are common reactions to the unknown, but recognizing individual warning signs
Nov. 19, 2019 Are you sad or are you SAD? It’s that time of year again, when the warm summer fades into autumn chills and frosty winters. The skies become grayer and the sun barely shines. For some, autumn and winter are welcome breaks from the summer heat; but for others, the change in seasons may cause dread.Some individuals suffer from
Nov. 14, 2019 Taking care of Airmen: How the AF Academy's Peak Performance Center helped a cadet recover The Peak Performance Center at the U.S. Air Force Academy helps cadets overcome challenges.
Oct. 30, 2019 Mental Health Awareness is a family affair The mental health of service members is a major focus across the Department of Defense, but another concern is the well-being of military families.
May 24, 2019 Director of psychological health dedicated to normalizing mental health Michelle Pennington, 104th Fighter Wing director of psychological health, has been involved in social work since she was a child.She now works to promote mental health awareness for members of the 104 FW and their families, and ultimately improve their quality of life.
Oct. 24, 2018 Herschel Walker tackles mental health His presence could be felt as soon as he stepped into the conference room in the 2nd Medical Group. His smile was ear to ear as he greeted everyone, being sure to shake their hands.As he signed autographs and posed for photographs, Herschel Walker began football talk. The former running back from
April 2, 2018 Mental health team provides care with Airmen in mind Life can be stressful.In addition to everyday life, dealing with frequent temporary duty trips, ever-lurking deployments and permanent reassignments from one end of the globe to the next can be both physically and mentally taxing for service members.Often separated from family and social support
Sept. 19, 2017 Airman drummer beats adversity with style Those who know him would normally describe him as soft-spoken and reserved, but life was and is anything but quiet for this musically-inclined Airman.
Aug. 31, 2017 Suicide prevention month: Stopping suicide is everyone’s battle September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time for Americans to build awareness and help understand suicide in our culture. More than 40,000 Americans lose their life due to suicide each year and research shows that rates in the military and the general population are very close. The loss of any one
July 19, 2017 New annual Mental Health Assessment requirements Starting July 31, 2017, Airmen undergoing their annual Periodic Health Assessment may notice something new. A Mental Health Assessment will now be part of every annual PHA, to help ensure that Airmen suffering from undiagnosed mental health issues are referred to the necessary care. Mental health
June 29, 2017 Real stories of courage, heroism, inspire at Air Force Magazine Day Col. Laurel Burkel has no recollection of her first meeting with Air Force civil engineer Greg Gangnuss.But some 20 months after a British Puma Mk 2 helicopter crash at the NATO base in Kabul, Afghanistan claimed the lives of five coalition members, injured five others and nearly decapitated her,
June 21, 2017 Connection saves lives: be there to help prevent suicide You can make a difference for someone struggling with suicidal thoughts with as little as eye contact and a friendly smile, an arm around the shoulder, or a kind word at the right time. Everyone has a role to play in preventing suicide, a key theme of the Department of Defense’s #BeThere Campaign,
May 12, 2017 Don’t suffer alone - mental health disorders have effective treatments Mental health disorders are relatively common within civilian and military communities, but with early treatment, most mental health disorders can be effectively treated, and patients can return to mental wellness. While invisible wounds like post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury
March 21, 2017 Overcoming the shadow of death: an Airman’s fight against depression Staff Sgt. Srun Sookmeewiriya (pronounced, Sook-mee-vi-ri-ya), or Sook, as many people know him, may seem like a happy and carefree Airman at first glance. The 313th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron NCO in charge of reports regularly puts forth an earnest effort to keep his unit alive and
Nov. 22, 2016 New Peer-Support Service Launches The DoD “BeThere” peer support call and outreach center is staffed by peers who are veteran service members and family members of veterans, and aims to provide support for everyday problem-solving of career and general life challenges.
Oct. 31, 2016 Psychological Health Advocacy Program provides assistance to reservists in need When dealing with life stressors, reservists and their families may not know where to turn to for help and that is when the Air Force Reserve Command Psychological Health Advocacy Program can step in and guide them in the right direction. Born from the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program which is a
Aug. 25, 2016 Every Airman Plays a Role in Suicide Prevention The Air Force is determined to prevent suicide, but you don’t need to be a specialist or doctor to do that. Sometimes all it takes is starting a conversation. Everyone has a role to play. That’s a key part of the Department of Defense’s #BeThere Campaign, which encourages making a difference through