The fight to destigmatize mental health care in the defense industry

If there’s an upside to the pandemic and multiple other subsequent crises, it’s that workplaces have become much more open to de-stigmatize employees suffering with mental health issues and more intentional about helping them address their stresses.

That’s not necessarily the case in the intelligence and defense communities, according to Amy Gilliland, president of defense contractor General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) in Falls Church, Va. Many fear that acknowledging a mental health issue could invite scrutiny that ultimately would result in the loss of security clearances.

But Gilliland is trying to change that. Last fall, she launched the “How are you, really?” campaign to spark company- and industry-wide conversations about mental health issues.