Mental Health Awareness

May is Mental Health Awareness Month!

Mental health is a critical part of a person's overall wellness. According to the CDC, mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions in the United States. Approximately 50% of the population will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime and 1 in 5 Americans are affected by mental illness each year.
 
In the past, there was a stigma about seeking mental health care. Psychological conditions can raise concerns about an individual’s eligibility for access to classified and sensitive information. For this reason, Federal workforce members may be apprehensive about seeking assistance when it is needed and beneficial for their overall wellbeing.
 
During this month of awareness, we would like to spotlight this topic as it pertains to government contractor workforce members and, hopefully, alleviate common concerns about seeking care for your mental wellbeing as a federal contractor.
 
Destigmatizing Mental Health Care
Mental health care is a positive course of action that often mitigates security concerns. Avoiding care can increase risk and create deeper concern.
 
In recent years, significant strides have been made within the federal government to destigmatize seeking support. The primary concern with psychological conditions is that certain emotional, mental, and personality ailments can impair judgement, reliability, or trustworthiness. While these factors do require consideration in the adjudicative process, DCSA is working diligently to raise awareness that seeking mental health care and services, on its own, does not affect one’s ability to obtain or hold clearance eligibility and will not impact your national security eligibility.
 
The Benefits of Mental Health Care and Stress Management Strategies
Developing healthy strategies to deal with difficult emotions or situations is critical to our overall well-being and mitigating the risk that these stressors will create deeper concerns. Seeking care that can help us develop healthy coping mechanisms and strong problem-solving skills allow us to feel healthier overall and perform better when we are under stress.
 
We are all individuals and developing strategies for navigating stress is a personal journey. What works well for one person, may not be helpful for another. Some techniques that many find beneficial are:

• Meditation and Mindfulness techniques
• Physical exercise
• Deep breathing exercises
• Yoga
• Journaling
• Positive self-talk
• Healthy eating
• Prioritizing sleep
• Engaging in creative activities like painting, music, writing, etc.
• Setting healthy boundaries both personally and professionally
• Communicating stressors
• Seeking professional assistance

 
There are numerous resources, books, apps, and such, readily available. These can be effective tools to help you explore and develop coping strategies that are healthy and work best for you. Important things to consider when developing your stress management strategy is to personalize your approach, be consistent, and seek professional help when needed.
 
You don’t have to do it alone! Seeking support when you need it is critical to your well-being. It can mitigate risk and provide significant benefit to your work performance, and life in general. Seeking professional help from therapists, counselors, or other mental health professionals can provide valuable tools and strategies for managing stress and anxiety.
 
Many companies offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) or other similar programs to assist their personnel when trouble arises. Don’t be afraid to tap into these resources if you need them. If you need support, please reach out to your company’s HR department or FSO. We’re here to help you navigate these waters.
 
When Are Mental Health Concerns Reportable
One of the biggest questions surrounding mental health and security is…What is reportable?
 
Security Executive Agent Directive 3 (SEAD 3) states you must report any apparent or suspected mental health issues where there is reason to believe it may impact a cleared individual’s ability to protect classified or other information specifically prohibited by law from disclosure.
 
The DoD Manual 5200.02, Enclosure 11, SEAD 3, and ISL 2021-02 outline possible thresholds for what would merit reporting. Examples of these include:

• Declarations of mental incompetence by a court or administrative agency
  
• Court-ordered mental health care or evaluation (inpatient or outpatient)
  
• Hospitalizations for mental health conditions (voluntary or involuntary)
  
• Diagnoses of the following conditions by a health care professional:
  
  • Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or delusional disorder
    
  • Bipolar mood disorders
    
  • Personality disorders such as borderline personality disorder or antisocial personality disorder
• Developing a mental health or other health condition that substantially affects judgment, reliability, or trustworthiness

 
SEAD 4 Adjudicative Guideline I, Psychological Conditions, also lists concerns as:
§  Any behavior that casts doubt on an individual’s judgment, stability, reliability, or trustworthiness.
§  An opinion by a medical professional that the individual has a condition that may impair their judgment, stability, reliability, or trustworthiness.
§  Voluntary or involuntary inpatient hospitalization.
§  Failure by the individual to follow a prescribed treatment plan.
§  Pathological gambling.
 
Other DoD Policies surrounding Insider Threat Indicators should also be considered. Insider threat policies were derived from security incidents that have occurred and the indicators leading up to those situations. Many of those indicators have involved mental health and psychological considerations.
 
Outside of government policies and security procedures, a primary reason to report mental health and psychological concerns is simply to help those in need. If you are struggling, or if you recognize that a colleague or co-worker might be having a difficult time, reporting these concerns could be the thing that helps someone get the support they need before a situation becomes dire.
 
Will Reporting a Mental Health Concern Affect an Individual’s Clearance or Public Trust?
History dictates that, in most cases, the answer is No.
 
Behavioral mental health treatment is not an automatic disqualifier for a security clearance. DCSA Adjudications looked at the 5.4 million adjudicative actions taken from 2012 to 2020 and found that 97,000 cases dealt with psychological-related issues. Of those cases, only 62 were denied or revoked for psychological concerns. This equates to only 0.00115% of the total adjudicative actions.
 
It is important to note that there can be mitigating circumstances that may ease security concerns. Examples include:
§  The person’s condition is controllable with treatment, and the person has demonstrated ongoing and consistent compliance with a treatment plan
§  The person voluntarily enters a counseling or treatment program
§  The opinion of a qualified mental health professional that the person’s condition is under control
§  The issue was temporary and has since been resolved
§  There is no indication of a current problem
 
Why Reporting is Critical & How to Report Concerns
Looking back on some of the most devastating security incidents that have occurred in our Nation's history, mental health and psychological considerations were prevalent pre-incident indicators. In almost all cases there were indicators but, unfortunately, other people around the individual either missed the warning signs or were simply afraid to report for fear the person would lose their clearance or get in trouble.
 
Covered individuals working in the federal contracting space, are required to self-report. If you are going through a difficult time, seeking treatment, have received a mental health diagnosis, etc., please DO NOT BE AFRAID to reach out to your company's FSO.
 
Reporting concerns about our co-workers and colleagues is equally important. Recognizing when someone is struggling, and reporting it appropriately, can be a critical piece toward getting them help before a bad situation occurs.
 
If you have any concerns about the mental health of yourself or anyone else, please seek guidance from your company’s Facility Security Officer (FSO). Reporting is about so much more than whether or not a person will lose their clearance or get in trouble.
 
Your FSO's job is to help you navigate compliance with security and reporting requirements. More importantly, we care about you and your well-being! If we can intervene to assist someone before a situation becomes dire, we may be able to mitigate a major security concern before it happens.
 
Reporting is the responsibility of every covered federal contractor, however, more importantly, REPORTING CAN SAVE LIVES.
 
 Report all concerns to your company’s FSO!
 
It is out job as FSOs to help you navigate any situations or concerns that arise.
 
 
Resources and Additional Learning

• Personnel Vetting - Mental Health and National Security Eligibility
• The Facts About Mental Health and Security Clearances
• DCSA Mental Health Treatment Not an Automatic Disqualifier
• DCSA Behavioral Science Branch - Destigmatizing Mental Health
• DCSA What Do I Need to Self-Report
• DCSA Adjudications "Mental Health and Security Clearances" fact sheet
• CDSE Pulse May 2024 – Mental Health and National Security Eligibility
• Reporting Job Aid
• Case Study Library
• 32 CFR Part 117 (NISPOM Rule)
• 32 CFR Part 147 (Adjudicative Guidelines)
• SAMHSA National Helpline
• SAMHSA 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
• APA Crisis Hotlines and Resources

As always, if you have any questions about whether or not a situation requires reporting, ask your FSO! Your company’s FSO is the best person to help you navigate any questions you have about security compliance, briefing, and reporting requirements. As security professionals, we are here to help you navigate things to ensure you fulfill all requirements.