by KIM HILSENBECK
When the Hays Free Press put out the word to honor local veterans, Jason Swanson’s name came in. He recently moved to the area and opened Viper CrossFit in Buda after a more than six-year stint in the U.S. Air Force.
We wanted to honor his service – and the job he did for the military was intriguing. Swanson was an E5 Staff Sgt. and Mental Health NCOIC (Non-commissioned officer in charge) in the Air Force.
At each of his stations, he worked in a mental health services office, a job he did for his entire tour of duty, which gave him a unique perspective on the state of mental health of military personnel.
Data on the MedlinePlus website, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine from the National Institutes of Health, indicates that service members and veterans are at risk for mental health problems. These problems include anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse.
Swanson said military top brass saw more and more problems with service personnel, including depression, suicide, violence and domestic issues. Research by the U.S. Army and the National Institute of Mental Health shows that suicide rates have reached record levels since the beginning of the recent wars in the Middle East.
According to Thomas R. Insel, M.D., director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), “The suicide rate among soldiers began to rise significantly in 2002, and reached record levels by 2007. The Army has been very proactive in addressing the crisis but, sadly, the suicide rate continues to rise.”
Swanson said military leaders finally said, “We’ve got to get these guys help.”
The Defense Department’s Medical Surveillance report from November 2010 found “a large, widespread, and growing mental health problem among U.S. military members.”
The 31-page report says mental disorders are a problem for the entire American population, but that sharp increases for active duty military reflect the psychological toll of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Most notably in this regard, the rate of incident diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increased nearly six-fold from 2003 to 2008,” the report says.
The military’s new outreach and screening programs, as well as efforts to reduce the stigma attached to seeking treatment, also contributed to higher numbers, according to the report.
Swanson agrees that things are getting better.
“Now [military personnel] get the help they need, but it’s still somewhat taboo and it’s still a battle to get proper diagnosis and help,” he added.
Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2004-2007) shows that almost 10 percent of veterans ages 21-39 experienced at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year.
Of those, more than half reported severe impairment in at least one of four role domains (i.e., home management, work, close relationships with others and social life), and nearly one-quarter reported very severe impairment in at least one of those domains.
In Swanson’s estimation, though certainly not scientific, about 70 percent of the people that came to see a mental health professional had relationship issues.
“They are separated from families for long periods, they get disconnected from their families,” he said. “And cheating spouses is a big problem.”
Research shows there are high divorce rates among military personnel –higher than in the general population.
Swanson said he thinks part of the problem is the age of most military volunteers, which is between 18 and 24.
“Males in particular aren’t making the best decisions at that age anyway,” Swanson said.
He said many military personnel, especially the younger ones, get married for the wrong reasons. For example, they may have a romanticized version of deployment, such as “my hero is going off to war” kind of sentiments.
Some get married so they can get more money, or to take care of a girlfriend who, as a spouse, will now get military support and benefits.
Coming back home
Swanson said he’s seen a change in how the military tries to help service members come back to civilian life.
“Reintegration is especially hard,” Swanson said.
Returning from his first deployment to Iraq several years ago, Swanson said it was a mediocre process.
“You basically get a couple briefings on PowerPoint in the deployed setting, you know, look out for this, look out for that,” he said. “And then you come back to your home station and you get another PowerPoint for a half hour or something like that, and then you’re good. You get two weeks off to enjoy your family and friends. And then you get back to work.”
Now, he said, the process is very different.
“What they did on my last deployment was they ramped that up,” Swanson said. “They made mental health care more accessible. They encouraged people to seek mental health [treatment]; they didn’t just say, ‘Here’s a PowerPoint.’ They make you do a pre-deployment checklist online – a pre-health screening for PTSD. They make you go through briefings before you leave the deployed setting and encourage you to seek help.”
Swanson said the military tries to catch problems before service personnel leave the deployment arena.
He said they also do a post-health assessment on those who are ending a deployment.
“They ask you those suicidal questions, they ask about depression and PTSD,” he said.
Swanson said some people may fudge the results because of the lingering stigma attached with having mental health issues. But more likely, they haven’t even started to feel, or they don’t have the insight to know they’re experiencing, these things.
“Or they’re in denial,” he said.
In addition, Swanson said coming back to “normal” life can trigger issues.
“A lot of PTSD has a delayed onset,” Swanson said. “So they might not even know [they have it] until they’ve been released three to six months.”
Once they are back in the States and with family, it hits.
Today, the Air Force encourages families to come to the reintegration meeting at the home station, but a lot of wives don’t come, according to Swanson. He said the Army may have more strict requirements about reintegration.
He said soldiers come back and sometimes they experience almost a resentment of society.
“I experienced that coming back from my first deployment,” Swanson said.
“We sacrifice a lot and jump through all these hoops,” he said. “You’re sometimes in miserable living conditions and it’s 140 degrees outside and you’re getting shot at. Then you come home and people are whining about the stupidest things. People kind of take life for granted.”
He said he had one of those “old man stories,” about life in a deployed area.
“I used to walk a mile just to get something to eat,” Swanson said, “and I got so comfortable with it.
“Another reason guys like to be deployed and not at home,” he said, “is you got all that nagging at home and the kids yelling. They say, ‘I’d rather be deployed.’ They come back here and it’s like, hustle bustle, people cutting you off. Ungrateful people everywhere. People whining and nagging you. You know, the wife doesn’t care you’ve been gone for a year and you need some time to relax, and she’s got a honey-do list. You kind of start resenting people, and that’s where that disconnect comes in, I think,” he said.
Swanson said the difficulties with reintegration may even increase the likelihood of someone volunteering for a second or third deployment.
“It’s more money, too, even though the spouses often spend all their money,” he said, “which is another major issue for a lot of deployed guys.”
Swanson said mental health professionals and chaplains hear some fairly horrible stories. But soldiers, like most people, feel their own story is the worst thing that’s ever happened to anyone.
“I’ve heard the same story a hundred times,” he said.
Swanson thought about getting into social work but felt like opening a crossfit training center was a better combination of what he loves: helping people and staying healthy.
“I still get to coach people,” he said. “I’m still doing all the same stuff I did in mental health, and now I get to apply it to something else I love.”
“CrossFit is everything I’ve been doing, just with an added twist of some elements of gymnastics and Olympics-style lifts. It has more intensity and focus than a regular workout and it’s stuff we do every day – it’s functional movement,” Swanson said.
Ideally, he’d like to see about 150 clients each month.
“I offer discounts for military, police, fire, educators and health care professionals,” he said.
Swanson said he misses elements of being in the military. He also said he gave up a $45,000 bonus he would have received for re-upping his service.
“Crazy, huh?” he asked.
In part, Swanson left the Air Force to be closer to his young daughter who lives in San Antonio. But he also wanted to work on his own future.
Looking around the warehouse that holds his business, he said, “This is my dream right now.”
