Rather than looking for a label or a concrete diagnosis of a mental health challenge, some professionals are instead examining an individual’s mental health based on an ever-changing, fluid, sliding scale—more specifically, a spectrum-based approach.
In an article today for the Canadian edition of the HuffPost, Liz Bernier, managing editor of Canada’s HR Professional Magazine, revealed that through her own research in the field, she recognizes the importance of “the Canadian Armed Force's spectrum based approach [that] presents mental health much like physical health in that it exists on a continuum”.
Furthermore, Bernier explained, while issues of mental illness and mental health are finally being acknowledged in the workplace, statistics show that most workers still do not disclose their situations to their employers. She states that according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America a significant number of employees, even up to 40 per cent of workers, state that they would be willing to disclose their personal mental health conditions to their employers.
It was during her examination of the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) Road to Mental Readiness program for an interview back in 2014 that Bernier believes she may have found a successful concept for the examination, disclosure and acceptance of mental illnesses in civilian workplaces.
And while Bernier was quick to emphasize the importance, and necessity, of the diagnostic method historically practiced in mental health sectors, she was fascinated by the stigma reduction that resulted from CAF’s concentration on mental health and mental illness on a continuum-based approach.
Bernier admitted she has experienced her own mental health challenges and that, in conjunction with working a journalism beat in "workplace issues", she is amazed at how workplace stigma over mental health conditions continues unabated, signifying a need for change and education..
Bernier further stated the uniqueness of the US military as an employer together with a distinct culture where being strong and tough is emphasized makes disclosing any form of mental health diagnosis a difficult proposition that is frequently not well received by fellow peers and supervisors within the command chain.
In an effort to accommodate its inherent sensitivities surrounding the disclosure of mental health challenges, “the CAF's spectrum based approach presents mental health much like physical health,” Bernier added.
The Military Mental Health Continuum Model is posted on the National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces website. In its explanation of the model, the CAF not only recognizes the fluidity of an individual’s mental health status, but the community-based responsibility for each member’s wellbeing.
The website emphasizes the health and well being of CAF members as being a shared responsibility between all parties involved from the leaders down to the members as part of a continuum of mental well being.
Visually, the CAF Mental Health Continuum is composed of four color blocks (green, yellow, orange, red) on a sliding scale from left to right. “The arrows under the four color blocks denote the fact that this is a continuum, with movement in both directions along the continuum,” the site explains, “indicating that there is always the possibility for a return to full health and functioning.”
Bernier emphasized the positivity of the spectrum’s recognition of ongoing changeability. Rather than situating an individual on a “fixed point on the spectrum”, Bernier applauded the model for accepting the constant ebb and flow naturally occurring in mental health challenges, for removing the permanence of labels and “because [it] removes the illusion of separation between ‘us’ and ‘them’—mentally ill or healthy”.
Thanks to its recognition of constant change, the CAF model, Bernier believes, is highly applicable to civilian workplaces as well as to the armed forces. “We all exist somewhere on the continuum, and every single one of us has the potential to slide down the spectrum if faced with a stressor or catalyst,” she said.
The CAF’s website clearly encourages de-stigmatization by identifying its model and the mental health challenges it represents.
Traci Pedersen, in her article for PsychCentral.com last week, referred to a recent study published in the journal Military Medicine. Results of the study, she said, indicate that the stigma of mental illness continues to negatively impact American military personnel in their search for assistance.
Based on the study’s findings, Pedersen wrote that military personnel are beginning to more widely use mental health services outside of government, which implies that the military itself needs to do more to service mental health care to its own members from within.
Echoing the stigma the CAF model is attempting to eliminate, Pedersen listed the study’s most common reasons individuals in the military service were seeking outside professional help. Among the reasons were “fear of reprisal for seeking services”, “mistrust of command”, and the potential for “a negative impact of seeking care on one’s career”.
References
Bernier, L., (March 6, 2018). HuffPost CA. Civilian Workplaces Can Learn From How The Army Approaches Mental Illness. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/liz-bernier/de-stigmatizing-mental-health-spectrum-canadian-armed-forces_a_23377672/
National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. (Retrieved March 6, 2018). The Military Mental Health Continuum Model. http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/caf-community-health-services-r2mr-deployment/mental-health-continuum-model.page
Pedersen, T., (February 28, 2018). PsychCentral.com. Many in Military Seek Mental Health Care Elsewhere. https://psychcentral.com/news/2018/02/28/many-military-personnel-seek-mental-health-care-outside-of-military/133118.html
