Department of Defense Launches New Anti-Stigma Campaign Defe

Department of Defense Launches New Anti-Stigma Campaign Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Real Warriors Campaign Helps Members of the Military, Veterans and their Families Combat stress is a common problem among American troops returning from Iraq. To combat the stigma that keeps some members of the military, veterans and their families from seeking needed psychological health, the Department of Defense is launching the Real Warriors Campaign. This multimedia public education effort makes reaching out easier by providing access to psychological health information and resources 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Individuals can chat online to psychological health coaches through the campaign website, in addition to a toll free number. The launch is part of a larger effort by the Department of Defense to ensure that warriors and their families can access necessary treatment for the invisible wounds of war as well as the visible wounds. Many service members and veterans deny themselves treatment for psychological wounds out of the fear that doing so would hurt their careers, embarrass them and harm their families.