Brigade teams bring mental health to Fort Campbell

Brigade teams bring mental health to Fort Campbell
By KRISTIN M. HALL
Associated Press Writer
Nov 30, 3:23 AM EST

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) -- Army brigade leaders at Fort Campbell have begun monthly meetings of officers, doctors and counselors to catch early signs of emotional or mental stress among their troops and intervene before soldiers hurt themselves or others.

It's a unique effort at this sprawling base on the Tennessee-Kentucky line that fits with broader Army initiatives to deal with a rise in suicides among troops. The Army has bolstered suicide prevention since February after a record 140 cases in 2008, but this month said the number may rise again this year. It had recorded 140 suspected cases as of Nov. 11.

The brigade teams are part of Fort Campbell's plans that also include moving counselors and social workers out of hospitals and clinics and embedding them in the brigades to break down barriers and overcome the stigma of seeking help.

It's a decentralized approach to help soldiers become more resilient to stress after repeated deployments over eight years of war, said Capt. Sebastian Schnellbacher, the 101st Airborne Division's psychiatrist.

"Instead of making the soldiers come to us for care, we do whatever we can to bring ourselves closer to the soldiers," he said.


Rest of aricle at: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FORT_CAMPBELL_MENTAL_HEALTH?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-11-30-03-23-47