New Stress hotline for Marines

New hot line available in times of stress

By Tony Lombardo - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Dec 26, 2010 9:19:55 EST

Staff Sgt. Jennifer Brofer/Marine Corps Marines and family members who find themselves battling stress can talk to a trained counselor for free through the "DSTRESS Line," a Marine Corps-sponsored phone hotline staffed 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Marines and their families can call the hotline at 1-877-476-7734 or visit www.dstressline.com.

You’ve got bills to pay, too little family time and new orders from your commander. The stress started as a slow burn, but now your head is on fire.

To help, the Corps is touting a new hot line called “DSTRESS.” Available to Marines on the West Coast, the hope is to expand it Corps-wide.

Faced with mounting stress and not enough support, a Marine can quickly “spiral downhill,” said Col. Grant Olbrich, section head of the suicide prevention program at Headquarters Marine Corps.

“There are widely varying challenges being in the Marine Corps family, and that applies to our Marines currently in uniform, family members and Marines who used to wear the uniform,” Olbrich said. “DSTRESS is for all of them.”

Olbrich points out that DSTRESS is not a suicide hot line, but rather a source for any Marine “feeling the effects of stress.”

The Corps is just launching a media campaign to get the word out. It’s good timing for the holiday season, Olbrich said, when stress typically is high.

The hot line, 877-476-7734, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or you can visit the DSTRESS website.

If you want help

• Call the hot line at 877-476-7734. It is operational 24/7.

• Visit the program’s website.

Much more information here.

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