Indiana National Guard: Behavioral Health

Get Help

THE VETERANS CRISIS LINE PROVIDES 24/7 CONFIDENTIAL CRISIS SUPPORT
FOR SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR LOVED ONES

If you or someone you know is currently experiencing thoughts of suicide, emotional distress or a mental health or substance use crisis, please CALL 988 + 1, TEXT 838255 or CHAT to speak with a trained crisis specialist 24/7. If your emergency situation requires immediate assistance from the police, fire department or ambulance/medical personnel, CALL 911.

Behavioral Health Logo

Indiana National Guard members and their families often face unique challenges managing the responsibilities of living and working in the civilian community while also maintaining their readiness to perform as a soldier or airman in the National Guard. The Behavioral Health Program of the Indiana National Guard is here to support Guardsmen and their families by helping locate Behavioral Health resources that are available in the communities where our members work and live. Although we do not provide treatment, the Behavioral Health Program staff will work with you and your civilian treatment team to make sure you get the help you need in order to maintain or improve your medical readiness, resiliency and effectiveness as a member of the Indiana National Guard.

Have you experienced...
How we can help...
Confidentiality
Resources/Links

Increased isolation or feelings of loneliness
Finding it more difficult to control feelings of nervousness or tension
Increased drinking or drug use that is getting in the way of your relationships, work or school
Increased difficulty falling or staying asleep
Family or friends indicating that they are concerned about you
Increased irritability and difficulty managing your anger

Formal behavioral health assessment to help you identify what types of services you may need
Assistance with locating behavioral health resources and providers in your community
Case management services to act as a liaison between your civilian providers, your leadership and the INNG Medical Readiness team
Command consultation services
Specialty Evaluations (e.g., Sniper, Position of Significant Trust and Authority, Security Clearance, Medical Readiness)
Wellness education

All services are confidential, with some exceptions:

If you express intent to harm yourself or someone else, we need to keep you safe
If your commander directed the evaluation, we need to disclose minimal information
If you want us to coordinate with your civilian provider, we will ask for a release of information

Health Spotlight: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is a mental health problem. It develops after going through a traumatic event. It is normal to have stress reactions to those type of life altering events. Most people start to feel better within a few weeks if symptoms last longer than 1-6 months and are causing problem in day-to-day life, it could be PTSD. Any one of any age can develop PTSD.

Common Causes of PTSD

Very intense or long-lasting traumatic event such as childhood abuse (sexual, mental, physical), combat, deployments, abusive relationships (sexual, mental, physical).

Any life-threatening event. Getting injured during an event can make developing PTSD more likely. What happens after a traumatic event also plays an important role: stress can make developing PTSD more likely; seeking care immediately after a traumatic event might make developing PTSD less likely.

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD

Symptoms of PTSD

Symptoms usually present soon after the event, but in some cases, they may not present until months, even years later. Also, symptoms may come and go over several years. If the symptoms last longer than 1-6 months and cause you great distress, interfere with work or home life, you may have PTSD.

Download

Treatment Options

There are more options than ever for successful PTSD treatment:

Talk therapy options such as cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
Medication options to treat sadness, anger and other symptoms.

Download