Unable to forget

The hidden scars of war

On Remembrance Day, many Canadians will take two minutes to silently thank those who lost life and limb in battle, and others who are still abroad, keeping peace in the world. Historically, those who survived have been hailed as heroes, and pinned with medals.

There are those who cannot leave the battle behind.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the official name for an emotional disorder that was once referred to as ‘shell shock’ or ‘battle fatigue,’ seems to have become synonymous with the military.

The Canadian Forces have seen some criticism in the past for their handling of people with mental health issues following stints in war zones. PTSD has been called the invisible wound, a disorder that destroys a person’s life and may even lead to suicide.

“I feel—and it’s an argument I’m raising, and I’m getting more data—that both Veterans’ Affairs and National Defence are downplaying the impact of operational trauma to being the primary source of the suicides,” said Senator and PTSD activist Romeo Dallaire in an interview with CBC’s Fifth Estate in 2009.

On January 5, 2010, an aircraft technician committed suicide in a County conservation area after his fifth tour in Afghanistan.

His mother approached the media, saying that she’d known her son was having difficulty, and that he had attempted suicide in the past. She also said that despite trying to get him civilian help, the army took over his care, and told her to treat him with “tough love.”

In the article written for the Intelligencer about the incident, Canadian Forces couldn’t or wouldn’t respond to the mother’s allegations that they had mishandled the man’s treatment.

Captain Roxanne Laforet, a social worker and the head of mental health services at 8 Wing Air Force Base in Trenton, couldn’t comment on that incident, but said that the army is trying to be more open about mental illness associated with the military.

“We are offering treatment. We’re trying to fight that stigma around mental health and PTSD, we are screening people before, after. We have psychologists on site, we have social workers,” said Laforet. Keeping an incident like the air tech’s suicide quiet only serves to further that stigma according to Laforet.

She says that in the microcosm of army society, it’s just one of the mental health issues facing those serving and those who have served.

“I think PTSD is a small portion. And it’s the same thing if we compare the Canadian population. Often people think military members will develop PTSD, well we’re talking about five per cent of the population,” said Laforet. “I would say depression, like in the general population, depression, addiction, it’s more prev alent than PTSD, but still minimal.” Five per cent is the number of serving personnel who come back and report symptoms. There is no way of knowing how many people don’t report, and as far as Laforet knows, there are no records being kept to see what kind of work is most likely to cause PTSD.

Laforet says the base has been offering treatment for PTSD for at least 10 years. In that time Mental Health Services has noticed that people are seeking treatment sooner. Instead of waiting for a year or two, they will come in within six months of noticing symptoms.

Early intervention makes PTSD easier to treat. Symptoms like anger, depression and alcohol abuse that can slowly build and damage a person’s career and family life are mitigated. The problem is easier to treat when that damage isn’t done.

Laforet says the mental health centre at the base is offering information to families, offering support, and providing case workers to those leaving the military to ensure they have the mental health and social support network they need to reintegrate into the general population.