Like many Americans, military service members and commanders have taken notice of the withdrawal from Olympic competition last week of superstar gymnast Simone Biles, who cited mental health concerns after uncharacteristic missteps in the early stages of competition.
"Gymnasts are some of the strongest athletes in the world and elite masters of complex skills unrivaled by other athletes," said Air Force Lt. Col. Regina Owen, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and a professor at the Uniformed Services University (USU) in Bethesda, Maryland.
Many members of the military have comparable traits, she said. Like Biles, service members are typically young, fit, well-trained and routinely strong - both physically and mentally.
To Owen, Biles is "an elite individual" who displayed great strength by forgoing Olympic competition and chose instead to focus on building her mental strength.
"She had more numerous endorsements - i.e. "mental noise" - clamoring for her attention than most American Olympians leading up to the Olympics," she said.
"Those types of distractions undermine mental wellbeing and physical capabilities."
Owen likened Biles's situation to military service members who are training or preparing for deployments, when "mental focus is essential [and] improved physical preparation will follow."
"Military members need to be empowered to prioritize building mental strength and provided adequate resources to avoid distractions undermining their mental wellbeing" Owens said.
Biles returned to compete in the balance beam final on Tuesday, August 3rd, the last event of the women's gymnastics competition, and won a bronze medal.
The message of prioritizing mental health fitness and performance psychology has been reverberating throughout the military community, especially in light the global pandemic, when many troops and veterans have reported increased feelings of isolation, depression and increased drinking.
"Mental health is health - period," said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, during a visit to Alaska on July 24. Austin said he's particularly concerned about the number of suicides in the military. He stressed reducing stigma associated with seeking mental health assistance.