LAY SUMMARY The way military personnel describe seeking support for difficult mental health experiences can highlight what helped recovery and what impeded it. This study examined stories of accessing care told by New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) military members to understand their unique perspectives on mental health recovery. In total, 21 NZDF military personnel who were treated for mental health concerns were interviewed. Results showed how personnel described experiences of being supported through the NZDF mental health system, how hard it was to seek help, and how challenging the process was to get better. In general, participants described positive outcomes, where they felt supported to recover and become better versions of themselves through the process. Results highlight that growth from mental health struggles for NZDF military personnel is possible and can be supported. Discussion focuses on things leaders and organizations can do to ensure military service members are encouraged to feel they are in control of their own recovery process.
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Grimm et al. (2024) studied this question.
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