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Tools for Line Leaders Managing Personnel in Distress

soldiers shaking hands

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Dayton Mitchell/Released

During operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the globe, warriors at all levels have bravely served our nation in harsh combat environments. Whether you are a line leader in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy or Air Force, it is important to understand how deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan affect personnel, as well as how to navigate behavioral obstacles that can hinder an individual’s or a unit’s performance.

The information below is designed to help you identify warriors in your unit who may be in distress, and to inform you how to assist them in regaining full mission readiness both in combat and throughout the entire deployment cycle.

Identify Personnel Experiencing Stress

Even the most motivated and well-trained warriors can find themselves in difficult psychological situations. A key first step is to determine if any of the individuals under your supervision are exhibiting signs of combat stress. Whether operating in a combat environment or post-deployment, the following behaviors indicate that a service member may be experiencing symptoms of combat stress:1

  • Lacking ability to focus
  • Becoming overly irritable or angry
  • Showing decreased problem-solving skills
  • Displaying decreased self-confidence
  • Lacking ability to make sound decisions
  • Having trouble sleeping or oversleeping frequently
  • Experiencing frequent mood swings
  • Isolating or withdrawing from buddies and other unit members
  • Taking unnecessary risks
  • Showing decreased job performance
  • Misusing drugs or alcohol

It is also important to understand that stress can result from operational circumstances outside of battle, including sexual harassment, excessively high workload, relationship issues, financial difficulties or other personal problems.2 Be aware of these additional stressors when managing your personnel.

If an individual under your command does show behavior that leads you to believe he or she may be experiencing psychological concerns, it is imperative that you take action. Your unit — and the entire chain of command — depends on you to manage the situation effectively.

How to Manage Personnel in a Combat Environment

“It's time we made everyone in uniform aware that the act of reaching out for help is, in fact, one of the most courageous acts…. It's time for leaders of all stripes to step forward and lead by example when it comes to mental health issues.”

— Adm. Michael G. Mullen, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff6

If your unit is operating in a combat environment, you can pursue one of three general tactics to address concerns about a warrior’s psychological wellbeing:3

1. Keep Warrior in Current Role

  • Do This When: The warrior shows stress reaction symptoms that do not put himself/herself or others at risk, or do not interfere with the current mission.
  • Actions to Take: Reassure the warrior that experiencing stress is common, and allow him/her to rest, clean up, eat, sleep and remain with buddies.

2. Rest Warrior in Parent or Support Unit

  • Do This When: The warrior is not too much of a risk or burden to stay with his or her buddies and he/she is not disruptive or dangerous.
  • Actions to Take: Assign the warrior to less critical duties in safer areas for six to 36 hours of rest and work. Closely monitor the warrior’s psychological wellbeing.

3. Refer Warrior to a Chaplain, Medic or Behavioral Health Professional

  • Do This When: The warrior is disruptive or potentially dangerous to self, others or the mission.
  • Actions to Take: Bring the warrior to a chaplain, aid station or medical treatment facility, maintain contact if he/she is not returned in a few hours and welcome the warrior back into unit upon return. Try to make your warrior’s experience as seamless as possible.

Although all line leaders pursue these three general tactics at different times, each military service provides its own specific guidelines for managing personnel in distress. Use the following resources to find more detailed information about managing personnel experiencing combat stress while deployed.

If you decide to refer a warrior for care, it is important to understand that chaplains, medics and behavioral health professionals each have different skills to help warriors cope with combat stress.

  • Chaplains: Provide confidential spiritual counseling, and are often particularly non-threatening to warriors. Although their counseling is confidential, chaplains can share general information about warriors’ mission readiness with line leaders.
  • Medics: Are trained to treat both physical and psychological injuries that prevent warriors from carrying out their duties. It is important to explain to service members that seeing a medic in order to regain mission readiness is not a sign of weakness, but is in fact a sign of strength.
  • Behavioral Health Professionals: Specialize in helping warriors overcome significant psychological concerns. Many service members may be extremely wary of seeing a behavioral health professional, so it is important to point out that these professionals have received extensive training to understand and treat combat stress.

How to Manage Personnel Throughout the Deployment Cycle

It’s critical to address personnel crises while deployed, but symptoms related to combat stress can occur at any point during the deployment cycle. Therefore, leaders must also take actions in the long-term to prevent and manage combat stress. Try the tips listed below:4,5

Know Your People
Spend time with your personnel and listen to what they say; this may reveal concerns that lead to distress in your unit. Be supportive and emphasize that seeking care displays strength, responsibility and good judgment.

Know Your Unit
Just like individuals, units can suffer from distress. Organizational stress affects the unit’s morale and in turn can impact its mission. Methods for reducing organizational stress include encouraging open communication and healthy lifestyles.

Foster a Climate of Mutual Support
Encourage active management of stress as a good long-term investment in well-being. Remember, accountability for personnel’s well-being is strengthened by leadership’s example and the emphasis attached to the effective management of stress.

Help Unit Members Build a Community
A warrior’s social network offers support, protection and a sense of purpose. Leaders can let each team member know where they fit in the unit, voicing appreciation for the member’s efforts. For many warriors, the unit is like a family, so fostering this sense of community can yield great rewards.

What Not to Do

Taking the correct actions when addressing a psychological health issue is critical. Conversely, taking the incorrect actions can be harmful and counterproductive to returning members of your unit to mission readiness. When managing personnel in distress, make sure you do not:1

Take Anger Out on Others
It is natural to feel frustrated with someone who has lost control, but expressing anger over this does not help, and it is often important to find respectful ways to address anger. Avoid taking out anger out on others by using attacking statements.

Attempt to Dismiss Stress
Never try to convince service members experiencing combat stress that they are fine, that nothing has really happened or that they can control symptoms if they try harder.

Assign Blame
Do not imply that warriors are being "weak" — everyone has their breaking point (including you).

Rush Back to Duty
Give warriors a chance to recover and restore their self-confidence by returning to their operational duties only when they are able.

Encourage Warriors to Put Off Seeking Care
Delaying professional care for combat stress symptoms that persist longer than 30 days can be significantly detrimental to members of your unit that need treatment.

Revoke Your Trust
Work hard to maintain connections and trusting relationships with personnel who have had professional treatment for traumatic stress injuries. Keep in mind that being willing to seek help is a sign of strength and courage and will ultimately benefit the unit.

Empower Your Warriors to Build Psychological Strength

Service members under your supervision may wrongly believe that seeking psychological care will show weakness, decrease leadership’s confidence in them, harm their military career or create a divide with buddies in the unit. As a leader, it is imperative that you communicate to your unit not only that these perceptions are false, but that seeking care is the best way to return to peak psychological functioning and, ultimately, to accomplish your unit’s mission.

Additional Resources

Sources

1"Leaders Guide for Managing Marines in Distress," Marine Corps Community Services. Last accessed Dec. 29, 2011.
2"Navy Leader’s Guide for Managing Personnel in Distress," Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center. Last accessed Dec. 29, 2011.
3"Combat and Operational Stress Control Manual for Leaders and Soldiers," U.S. Army. Last accessed Dec. 29, 2011
4"Leadership in Action: Strategies for Distress Prevention and Management," [PDF 50KB] U.S. Army. Last accessed Dec. 29, 2011
5"Air Force Leader’s Guide for Managing Personnel in Distress," Air Force Medical Service. Last accessed Dec. 29, 2011.
6Kilbride, Tim. “Seeking Support Makes You Stronger, Not Weaker – Get Help for PTSD.” DoD Live. Published May 15, 2009.

Average: 4 (3 votes)
Last Reviewed: 10/29/11
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