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375th Mental Health Clinic marks Mental Health Awareness Month

  • Published
  • By Airman Megan Friedl
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the 375th Mental Health Clinic wants people to know they are here to help when problems arise.

"We all have a physical, mental, spiritual and social component to our wellbeing. If we experience problems in any of those areas it can bring us down," said Master Sgt. Michelle Wilson, 375th Medical Operations Squadron NCOIC.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, one in five Americans experienced some sort of mental illness in 2010.

With deployments, moves and large workloads, stress can be difficult to manage.

Wilson said the 375th Mental Health Clinic provides therapy to people having trouble with feeling depressed, anxiousness or suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Active duty, Reserve, Guard, retiree or family members who are at least 18 years old and are enrolled in Tricare are eligible to receive care in the mental health clinic.

The clinic also provides an Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Treatment program.

"There has always been a stigma about going to the mental health clinic," said Wilson. "We are not out to ruin careers and people are not crazy for seeking help. It shows good judgment when people recognize they need help and seek us out instead of waiting for things to get bad.

"The high operational tempo that military members and their families have had over the past decade and continue to endure can cause a lot of stress in multiple areas of their lives. There is a multitude of resources available to help Airmen and their families learn how to deal with it all effectively."

Lt. Col. Larry Kroll, 375th Medical Operations Squadron Mental Health Flight commander, said that people start having negative career impacts from mental health problems when they don't get assistance they need.

"If they came into see us instead, they'd be able to develop skills to help deal with these things better and not impact their work poorly," Kroll said.

The staff consists of well-trained professionals that understand military related issues. Nearly two-thirds of the clinic's staff is trained to treat PTSD.

The mental health clinic is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. A provider is on call 24/7 for emergencies. For non-emergencies, appointments can be made by calling or walk-in.

For more information or to make an appointment, call the mental health clinic at 256-7386.