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Military recruiting hundreds to combat PTSD
CTV.ca, 6 Mar 08
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The Canadian military's surgeon general went before the House of Commons Defence Committee Thursday to discuss serious mental health problems potentially affecting thousands of soldiers returning from Afghanistan.
Brig.-Gen. Hilary Jaeger told the committee that she is in the process of recruiting 450 mental health personnel to help Canada's army cope with addiction, depression, and post-traumatic stress (PTSD).
Psychological problems have become an increasingly important issue for the military in recent years as it has expanded its traditional peacekeeping status into a greater combat role.
According to a Department of National Defence website page last modified in 2004, anywhere from two to 15 per cent of soldiers "returning from a stressful mission" may be affected by PTSD. More recent reports suggest that as many as 25 per cent of troops come back home, after experiencing raw combat, with one or more mental health issue.
According to a Veterans Affairs briefing note obtained by The Canadian Press recently, "Over the past five years, the number of clients with a psychiatric condition has tripled, increasing from 3,501 to 10,252; the number of clients with a PTSD condition has more than tripled, increasing from 1,802 to 6,504 as of March 31, 2007."
Jaeger said the issue is "very, very serious."
"There's no question that symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder can really affect somebody's lives, including the lives of those they love and effect their ability to function in the workplace in very profound ways," she said.
One soldier serving in Afghanistan said he's fine right now, but he's not sure about the long term effects the mission may have on him.
"I don't know how I'm going to react. I don't know how I'm going to adjust. So, we'll see once I get home," said Master Cpl. Steve Andreimo.
The military has taken action to help the troops, even in remote and isolated forward posts in Afghanistan. But officials say it won't be easy to fulfill the defence department's attempt to recruit mental health workers.
"It's hard to find mental health care providers. Recruiting is still a challenge," said Col. Randy Boddam, a base psychiatrist.
The newly-created Veterans Affairs Ombudsman says the military also needs to put more emphasis on prevention before troops are deployed.
"The Canadian military has made huge progress in the domain of treating stress casualties, but I'm not so sure that we're putting enough emphasis on the prevention side of things," Col. Pat Stogran said.
Estimates suggest that more than 10,000 Veterans Affairs clients suffer from a psychiatric condition. Of those, 63 per cent have a PTSD.
Military recruiting hundreds to combat PTSD
CTV.ca, 6 Mar 08
Article link
The Canadian military's surgeon general went before the House of Commons Defence Committee Thursday to discuss serious mental health problems potentially affecting thousands of soldiers returning from Afghanistan.
Brig.-Gen. Hilary Jaeger told the committee that she is in the process of recruiting 450 mental health personnel to help Canada's army cope with addiction, depression, and post-traumatic stress (PTSD).
Psychological problems have become an increasingly important issue for the military in recent years as it has expanded its traditional peacekeeping status into a greater combat role.
According to a Department of National Defence website page last modified in 2004, anywhere from two to 15 per cent of soldiers "returning from a stressful mission" may be affected by PTSD. More recent reports suggest that as many as 25 per cent of troops come back home, after experiencing raw combat, with one or more mental health issue.
According to a Veterans Affairs briefing note obtained by The Canadian Press recently, "Over the past five years, the number of clients with a psychiatric condition has tripled, increasing from 3,501 to 10,252; the number of clients with a PTSD condition has more than tripled, increasing from 1,802 to 6,504 as of March 31, 2007."
Jaeger said the issue is "very, very serious."
"There's no question that symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder can really affect somebody's lives, including the lives of those they love and effect their ability to function in the workplace in very profound ways," she said.
One soldier serving in Afghanistan said he's fine right now, but he's not sure about the long term effects the mission may have on him.
"I don't know how I'm going to react. I don't know how I'm going to adjust. So, we'll see once I get home," said Master Cpl. Steve Andreimo.
The military has taken action to help the troops, even in remote and isolated forward posts in Afghanistan. But officials say it won't be easy to fulfill the defence department's attempt to recruit mental health workers.
"It's hard to find mental health care providers. Recruiting is still a challenge," said Col. Randy Boddam, a base psychiatrist.
The newly-created Veterans Affairs Ombudsman says the military also needs to put more emphasis on prevention before troops are deployed.
"The Canadian military has made huge progress in the domain of treating stress casualties, but I'm not so sure that we're putting enough emphasis on the prevention side of things," Col. Pat Stogran said.
Estimates suggest that more than 10,000 Veterans Affairs clients suffer from a psychiatric condition. Of those, 63 per cent have a PTSD.
