For Immediate Release: December 5, 2011
For more information, please contact Matt Pueschel at: FHPR.Communications@tma.osd.mil
The Department of Defense has issued a new guidance that further supports the psychological health of Service members deployed in military operations and the early detection and management of any combat and operational stress reactions (COSR) they may experience.
The guidance, DoD Instruction 6490.05, was signed into department policy in November and is aimed at preserving the mission effectiveness and war fighting capabilities of Service members while mitigating any adverse physical or psychological concerns that may result from exposure to severe stress in combat or austere settings they may operate in.
The new policy, available at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/649005p.pdf, will ensure coordination of the military Services’ comprehensive, standardized Combat and Operational Stress Control (COSC) policies and programs that enhance personnel readiness, contribute to combat effectiveness, improve physical and mental health, and prevent or minimize any adverse effects of combat or operational stress. The Services are already implementing programs that enhance psychological health through strength building strategies and applying psychological principles in mission performance, while addressing prevention and management of stress before, during and after deployment.
DoD Health Affairs will annually monitor the quality and effectiveness of the military’s COSC efforts to identify evidence-based programs for potential dissemination and use across the Services. COSC data collection metrics will also be developed and standardized. In addition, DoD will promote COSC initiatives that prepare Service members for military operations, support them during periods of transition, enhance psychological resilience, and reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health assistance.
Although the Services have been placing COSC teams and embedded resources in conflict settings for several years, the new policy is aimed at ensuring these efforts are optimized and monitored effectively. Far forward COSC team members can include medical personnel, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, mental health technicians, mental health nurses, chaplains, occupational or physical therapists. “These COSC efforts are making a positive impact in the operational readiness of units on the front lines, and we will continue to ensure COSC services are available to enhance combat effectiveness, as well as prevention and management of COSRs in forward settings, from garrison to the battlefield,” advised leaders of FHP&R’s Psychological Health Strategic Operations (PHSO) directorate, which coordinated drafting of the new policy.
The most significant change the new policy requires is the development of standardized metrics to conduct surveillance of COSRs. The Service secretaries will annually monitor, review and evaluate COSC policy and training curricula using appropriate evaluation procedures, and make any needed recommendations for policy and program improvements to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. The Services may also assign mental health professionals to serve as regional consultants to Combatant Commanders as needed, based on current or anticipated operational tempo and demands.
To create a supportive environment for Service members, psychological interventions for COSR will be implemented by first responders on the same parity with caring for physical injuries, and will be referred to as “psychological first aid.” This approach is based on proven principles aimed at mitigating the risk of longer term physical and psychological effects of stressful incidents that Service members may experience. It is a crucial first step in preventing COSR from developing into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other serious conditions.
The psychological first aid that COSC teams provide includes proactive educational outreach to units about coping techniques, talking through difficult experiences with individual Service members or groups, recommending rest and connecting with others in the units. All mental health, medical, line personnel and chaplains will be trained in role-appropriate COSC principles that include how to evaluate and differentiate COSR from diagnosable mental health concerns.
DoD Health Affairs will ensure that the Service psychological health consultants meet as needed to develop, coordinate and oversee implementation of COSC programs. Although the new policy allows for some implementation flexibility that considers each Service’s unique culture and subtle differences in COSC approaches, regular meetings of Service COSC program representatives will foster the sharing of best practices and lessons learned. PHSO will convene a meeting of COSC program managers early in the new year to develop standardized data collection metrics, as well as update the Force Health Protection Council on the quality and effectiveness of Service COSC programs.
For a previous story about DoD’s COSC programs, ‘Downrange Psychological Health Teams Boost the Mission,” please visit: http://psychhealth.fhpr.osd.mil/pressandnews/news_press_news_n/current_news_n/10-09-11/Downrange_Psychological_Health_Teams_Boost_the_Mission.aspx?id=?id=.