(bright music) - Black Physicians of Utah in partnership with the University of Utah Health is sponsoring an event called Silent Battles, exploring veteran mental health.

Our guest today, Dr. Richard Ferguson and Chris Harris will tell us more.

Hi, both, welcome.

Dr. Ferguson, let's start with you.

Talk about the importance of mental health for veterans as a veteran yourself.

- Yeah, I served in the Army for seven years, got out here actually in Utah, and the transition wasn't easy.

And then I think often, many of us, as veterans in the community, sometimes struggle to figure out how to share that we have needs, that we have struggles, and that's where the Silent Battle comes in.

And we have to understand that there's often increased rates of suicide, depression, anxiety amongst veterans compared to our civilian peers, that I think more of our community wants to know how to support.

- Great, I'm gonna move to you now, Chris.

You also are a veteran, 20 years, and you talk about how long it takes to get the help you need.

- Yeah, when I got outta the military, it's a different world, it's a different experience.

There's a stigma of how the public perceives you, but there's also, having been in a combat arms and been a combat veteran, it's how do you get help?

And you're almost, the stigma of having to ask for help is challenging.

- And you both say it's difficult sometimes to find where to get that help.

- I've experienced that just myself a year ago, having some struggles with transitioning to a new job, newly married, and I wanted to make sure that I wasn't, I was continuing to maintain that I was in a happy place, and I had difficulty getting access with the VA. And they said I have to wait sometimes six months or up to a year to get a therapist.

They eventually were able to meet my needs and send me to someone out in the community.

But I don't know if that many veterans will take that initiative and keep pushing to get seen by someone that is outside the VA. And that's what we wanna discuss.

- Yeah, okay.

Well, I thank you both so much for being here and for your service.

Thank you.

And if you'd like to know more about that upcoming event, Silent Battles, exploring Veteran Mental Health Needs and Stigma, it's May 14th from six to eight in the Gould Auditorium on the University of Utah campus.

Go to bpou.org, bpou.org.

I'm Mary Dickson.

Thanks for watching Contact.

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