Getting started is often the most difficult step in any process. If you’re a service member struggling with depression, sleep difficulties, posttraumatic stress, traumatic brain injury or any number of challenges to living a healthy, balanced life post-deployment, taking that first step toward improvement can be daunting. As simple as it seems, even clicking on a website that offers help for your concerns requires a leap of faith in yourself and the website.

That’s well understood by the developers of afterdeployment.org, an interactive wellness resource. Created specifically for service members, their families, veterans and health care providers, it takes into consideration the unique combination of issues service members could encounter post-deployment and guides their self-discovery through an engaging, media-rich experience.

It’s always the other guy. Poor sap — he’s got a drinking problem. She’s got to start standing up for herself. Those folks are in serious need of Parenting 101.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to spot other people’s problems but not our own? Some problems are easier to see than others. You may realize you drive too fast when you get a speeding ticket. You figure out you’ve gained weight when your jeans don’t fit. Speeding and weight gain are easy to recognize because they have clear-cut signs or signals. But it gets tricky when you consider such problems as depression, anxiety or combat stress. The signals for these problems can easily be misinterpreted or ignored as unimportant. So what if you’re unable to sleep through the night or lose your appetite? It’s just something going around. Sure you’re irritable and angry all the time but you have a good reason. What’s the big deal if you don’t want to hang out with your friends anymore?

George Lamb is a Marine veteran and began his social work career with the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northport, NY, where he assisted with care coordination of returning combat veterans. At DCoE, he supervises and manages the division’s dissemination activities and coordinates outreach.

During our outreach efforts for the inTransition program, a coaching initiative for service members transitioning between behavioral health care providers, we are often asked how the program can be incorporated into treatment plans for wounded warriors. This question took on additional resonance when asked by service leads at the Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical Command (JTF CapMed) Wounded Warrior Meeting recently held at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). JTF CapMed has regional authority over effective and efficient delivery of military health care.

The decision to seek help for psychological health concerns remains a struggle for many service members. In its 2012 lifestyle survey, Blue Star Families, organized by military spouses, reported that of military family respondents who believed they recognized signs of posttraumatic stress disorder in their service member, 62 percent of those service members had not sought treatment.

In an effort to encourage service members to seek help, Lt. Cmdr. Dana Lee, resilience and prevention subject matter expert with Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE), shares reasons why you shouldn’t ignore your mental health and resources that you can access now in this video. If you or someone you know has concerns, Lee recommends that you:

	U.S. Army photo by Jasmine Chopra-Degadillo

Dr. James Bender is a former Army psychologist who deployed to Iraq as the brigade psychologist for the 1st Cavalry Division 4th Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Hood, Texas. During his deployment, he traveled through Southern Iraq, from Basra to Baghdad. He writes a monthly post for the DCoE Blog on psychological health concerns related to deployment and being in the military.

I spent a few days this month in Orlando, Fla., attending the 127th annual American Psychological Association (APA) Convention, which is the largest gathering of psychologists and psychology students in the world. The convention allows health care providers from all areas of specialization in psychology and from research, practice, education and policy to get together for four days to learn about the latest advances in psychology. For the third year, Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) subject matter experts presented at this convention to increase psychologists’ knowledge of the unique needs of the military population, including treatment options for psychological health conditions and traumatic brain injury (TBI).