TRICARE provides answers to behavioral health questions Published Nov. 24, 2010 By Gabrielle Kirk TRICARE Management Activity FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- Whether it is "butterflies in the stomach" or a quickened heart beat, most people feel anxious at some time or another. While it is normal to worry or feel nervous in stressful situations -- public speaking, important event or unexpected news -- some people constantly feel on edge and panicky. Similarly, although sadness is a normal emotion in difficult times such as death, long periods of hopelessness may be a sign of depression. Constant anxieties and depression can take a toll on a servicemember's health and negatively impact their daily life. It can be difficult for a servicemember with these two emotions to tell if they are going through a rough patch or if it is something more. Some servicemembers home from deployment can experience these two emotions, along with symptoms of traumatic stress, including distressing recollection of events, nightmares, numbness and avoidance, sleep problems and irritability or anger. Excessive use of alcohol or other substances may also be a sign of servicemembers suffering these behavioral problems. While many are reluctant to seek behavioral health care because they are afraid a "stigma" surrounds behavioral health problems, TRICARE officials strongly encourages servicemembers and their families not to wait until the problem worsens. TRICARE coverage includes help with anxiety, depression, traumatic stress or other behavioral health problems servicemembers and their families may be facing. Visit www.tricare.mil/mentalhealth for TRICARE mental health benefits information, links, programs and contact information. One program available to beneficiaries is the TRICARE Assistance Program, or TRIAP. TRIAP brings short-term professional counseling assistance directly into the home. Beneficiaries with a computer and Web cam can speak "face-to-face" with a licensed counselor over the Internet at any time of the day or night. Eligible beneficiaries can access TRIAP an unlimited number of times, and these non-medical services are confidential and do not become part of military health records. Servicemembers and their families dealing with substance abuse or traumatic stress symptoms have access to an anonymous online self-assessment at www.militarymentalhealth.org. The self-assessment leads the participant through a brief series of questions about how he or she has been feeling. Participants who are experiencing these symptoms will receive information on possible treatment options and where they can get help. The online screening is not a substitute for an evaluation by a health care provider. The self-assessment can be valuable tool to help decide if he or she could benefit from care from a behavioral health care provider. Learn more about the behavioral health care options available through the Department of Defense, TRICARE, the services and communities around the country at www.tricare.mil/mentalhealth. While there is a very fine line when comparing anxieties to excitement and sadness to depression, your TRICARE benefit can provide guidance and support.