Name
#37 Real Warriors Campaign- Breaking Down Barriers to Seeking Care
Content Presented on Behalf of
DHA
Services/Agencies represented
Defense Health Agency (DHA), Other/Not Listed
Session Type
Posters
Room#/Location
Prince Georges Exhibit Hall A/B
Focus Areas/Topics
Behavioral and Mental Health
Learning Outcomes
1) Demonstrate that seeking help is a sign of strength.
2) Identify strategies and psychological health resources available for members of the military community.
3) Join and support the change culture by supporting and encouraging help seeking.
Session Currently Live
Description
The presentation will provide an overview of a multimedia stigma reduction campaign rolled out by the Psychological Health Center of Excellence. Established in 2009, the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Real Warriors Campaign (RWC) is a public health campaign designed to decrease stigma, increase psychological health literacy, and open doors to access to care by increasing psychological health literacy, and encouraging help seeking among active-duty service members, veterans, and their families. The DOD expanded the RWC in 2023, through collaboration between Psychological Health Center of Excellence and Defense Suicide Prevention Office, to augment suicide prevention initiatives. Furthermore RWC aligns with the Secretary of Defense’s suicide prevention campaign across five lines of effort (LOEs) and 83 enabling actions in support of the recommendations of the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee (SPRIRC), specifically the “Address Stigma and Other Barriers to Care” LOE; the DoD Federal Action Plan in support of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, published in May 2024; and the new DHA strategic plan issued on August 17, 2023, under the ‘Building a Modernized, Integrated, and Resilient Healthcare Delivery System’ priority. The RWC’s mission is to reduce the stigma associated with mental health, amplify suicide prevention efforts, and support military community psychological health and readiness. RWC materials address a variety of mental health concerns. The aims of the campaign are four-fold and include 1) Promote Psychological Health Literacy of members of the Military Community 2) Foster Psychological Health 3) Foster a Climate of Connectedness and Belongingness and 4) Empower Behavior Change. Products include videos based on lived experience, articles on several topics related to psychological health, infographics and toolkits along with social media posts. The RWC is currently one of the most engaging military health brands on social media with over 170,000 followers. Discussion will focus on preliminary metrics, impact of the social media campaign and opportunities for collaborations that foster a culture of support for all stages of military life and improve support systems for the military community.