Need someone unbiased and understanding to talk to for awhile? The folks at Give An Hour offer a safe place for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their family members to receive free and low cost support, help, counseling, and mental health treatment for a variety of issues and conditions. You can find them online here:
www.giveanhour.org
Please know there is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about if you need occasional or long term help, counseling, or treatment for depression, anxiety, or related medical conditions--doctors estimate 1 in every 4 Americans need treatment for these conditions even if they have never been in combat, so these common conditions affect a ton of people, both veteran and non-veteran alike.
I've been successfully medicated for depression and anxiety myself for 10+ years now, something I openly talk about in public to try to help other people feel more comfortable with mental health care, and as such one of my personal goals is to eradicate this widespread stigma our society has that military members supposedly should not talk about anxiety, depression, PTSD, or related mental health issues.
The key word in the term "mental health" is "health." Just as you take care of your physical well being by going to the doctor for periodic tune ups, being fully healthy also means taking care of your pyschological well being by going to the doctor or the counselor for periodic tune ups when needed.
Depression, anxiety, and related health problems are not necessarily permanent, either, so thinking of counseling and treatment as temporary "maintenance" for your body might help it to feel less intimidating.
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