Posted by Captain Edward Simmer on May 15, 2009
Psychological health encompasses all aspects of a person: physical, mental, spiritual, and social. This includes both positive and negative behaviors, attributes and symptoms, including resilience and heartiness. One of goals of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury is to help service members and families build resilience, which is the development of positive attitudes, behaviors and habits that prepare individuals and families to successfully adapt when faced with overwhelming stress and extreme adversity. Resilience-based training contributes to overall mission readiness of the Armed Forces. Eating well, getting enough rest and having meaningful relationships and friendships are all helpful in building resilience. Another part of helping military members become more resilient is ensuring that they receive realistic training and have an understanding of the types of situations and events that they will encounter in war. Talking to service members about probable experiences and the normal psychological ...