Mental health, or psychological health, encompasses the well-being of mind, body and spirit and contributes to overall health and resilience. Throughout the military community, additional stressors placed on individuals and families adds to the importance of maintaining awareness of internal and external demands on health and of the many resources available to support psychological health.

Signs of Distress

Some signs of distress could include:

• Drinking more heavily than normal
• Agitation or anger
• Withdrawing from families and friends
• Difficulty concentrating
• Sadness or depression

Many of these tips may seem like common sense, but when faced with challenging life situations these things are often the first things that get neglected.

When psychological health is neglected and mental health concerns arise, it is natural to deny there's anything wrong. Sometimes the last person to recognize symptoms is the one who needs help, so it's important to recognize symptoms in friends, loved ones or oneself and to say something.