The Situation Factor

The Canadian Forces (CF) are unveiling their response to revelations about the prominence of mental health issues within combat veterans.
In several statements released by the CF in recent months, a national strategy was outlined to tackle operational stress injuries (OSI), the most well known of which is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The most notable investment is the opening of a residential treatment facility for the long-term care of veterans having the most serious battles with OSIs, which have been known to cause violence and even suicide in some cases. Scheduled to open this fall at the Ste-Anne de Bellevue veteran’s hospital near Montreal, the 10-bed facility will be the first of its kind in Canada.
The CF already operates five Operational Trauma and Stress Support Centres (OTSSCs) and six Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) Operational Stress Injury clinics. They have all been opened within the last decade.
Additionally, the CF has created the Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) network, which provides peer counseling for veterans and their families. They can be found on this map:
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According to a release in January, the CF has begun an “Enhanced Post-deployment Screening Process” to determine any mental health issues within veterans returning from combat. The process is “a survey conducted 90-180 days after the return of deployed troops to Canada,” according to the release.
The CF has been criticized in recent years by veterans claiming to have suffered from mental health issues such as PTSD and who felt they had been ignored or swept under the rug by the military.
The CF has admitted that attitudes towards mental injuries have contributed to the lack of attention. “The CF has recognized for some time that the stigma surrounding mental illness is a leadership issue, and has been exploring ways of creating a culture of acceptance,” said the January release.
The CF has also claims to have internally educated and trained 8,000 of its members on how to recognize, understand, and react to OSIs.
Several studies released in recent years on the prevalence of mental health issues within combat veterans have had an effect on the public’s and the military’s understanding of OSIs. Two studies conducted at McGill and released in 2007 revealed alarmingly high rates of mental health issues in veterans returning from tours in Afghanistan, and that large proportions of those veterans did not seek or receive treatment.
A study of over 8,000 Afghanistan veterans found that 14 per cent suffered from mental health disorders and most of those veterans did not seek any mental health care. According to the study, “deployment to combat operations and witnessing atrocities were associated with increased prevalence of mental disorders and perceived need for care.” More details can be found here:

A second study published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry in 2007 found that of the same sample group, one third had not received any treatment. Most of those who did receive treatment did so at one of the CF’s facilities.
The same study found that veterans with comorbid depression, a very serious level of depression that is very difficult to live with, were 3.75 times more likely to have sought treatment than those without.
The American military has had similar issues with OSIs. A 2004 study in the New England Journal of Medicine on Combat Duty in Iraq and Afghanistan found that “exposure to combat was significantly greater among those who were deployed to Iraq.” 15 to 17 percent of Iraq veterans suffered specifically from PTSD, compared to 11 per cent for American Afghanistan veterans.
The U.S. military has taken actions similar to the CF. A screening questionnaire given to returning veterans was made public. It asks questions about having had serious conflicts with their spouses, family members, close friends, or at work; having nightmares or avoiding situations; being on guard, numb or detached; abusing alcohol, having a loss of pleasure, or depression. It also asks veterans about whether they are getting help, if they have asked for it, or if they would like it.

Below are interviews with two veterans and two Veterans Affairs psychologists, to give a better understanding of the people behind this news.

Edited by Alex Leduc. Images by Alex Leduc, Andrew Budziak, Raffy Boudjikanian, courtesy of militaires.org and the Ste Anne de Bellevue Veterans Hospital / Veterans Affairs Canada.
All elements Copyright 2009 Alex Leduc

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There have always been many military veterans suffering from psychological injuries like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Military culture, however, has discouraged most of them from seeking treatment until recently.

Denis Beaudin is a UN-NATO veteran and a Quebecer who has suffered from PTSD for decades. He began a community of fellow UN-NATO veterans so as to keep the comradery after active duty. What he found is that many were suffering from psychological injuries from their experiences.

After the Canadian military and veteran’s system began expanding treatment and awareness of PTSD over the last decade, Beaudin began treatment and also began encouraging others within his organization to do the same…

Beaudin’s website is www.militaires.org

Fighting PTSD

Script:

Renovations are under way at the Ste Anne De Bellevue Veterans Hospital near Montreal. The Canadian Forces has launched an effort in recent years to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder within its veterans. The newest piece of that effort will be a new 10-bed residential facility here for victims. Hospital Psychiatrist Dr Norman Shields welcomes the new resource.

In: “Really what we’re looking at…”
Out: “…try and reflect on what’s happening to them.”
Runs: 0:23

But Shields admits that the real challenge is not providing more beds for victims of PTSD. It’s removing the stigmas and the misconceptions associated with Operational Stress Injuries, so more veterans are motivated to seek treatment.

In: “Debunking the myth…”
Out”…or your weakness.”
Runs: 0:45

The new residential treatment facility is scheduled to open this fall. In Ste Anne De Bellevue, Quebec, I’m Alex Leduc.

The deportation report from the Washington Post doesn’t seem to be working, but I will try again later.

_________________

Here are my initial comments on the Displaced to Kabul soundslide from the New York Times.

The pice benefits from, actually it survives on stunning photography taken at the site, rendering other elements almost un necessary. Although it is outlined in the voiceover, the photos in black and white help to accentuate the desolate and desperate scene being portrayed. I am not a photographer by any means, so I will not attempt to analyze this element further.

The piece could benefit from some background sound from the site, even if subtle. It is not unreasonable to expect this since someone had to have been at the site to take the photographs, and I’m pretty sure audio recording equipment would have been available to a Times photographer or reporter. I should emphasize the subtlety of the background so as it does not take away from the photos themselves, only makes them feel a bit more dynamic.

The voiceover is generic and overly factual. This is aurally treated as a news copy story and visually treated as a feature. The piece would be better if driven by a character, and even better if clips from an interview with the character are used to drive the story.

Still, the voiceover is well read and works smoothly with the visuals. The format is also very simple, stylish, and user friendly. It can easily encorportate the changes I’ve suggested.

________________

The Reach of War soundslide from the Times takes one of my audio suggestion by having specific characters drive the story with interview clips, which is far more compelling and authentic than any voiceover. There is no background sound, but in the circumstances, it would have been difficult as it seems the visuals were numerous and from many different locations.

The photographs were not as stunning as those in the first soundslide, although their content was equally compelling. They helped direct the storyline, as they seemend to follow the narrative in the clips. In this sense, they felt more like still b-roll shots put over the clips rather than photos with clips or audio that accompany them.

The only thing i would change is the pacing of the soundslide. It moved awefully quickly, both visually and aurally. There was little room to breathe in this intense seven minutes of content. It was paced like a TV news report when it was really an online profile of the experiences of wounded veterans.

The Canadian Forces (CF) are unveiling their response to revelations about the prominence of mental health issues within combat veterans.

In several statements released by the CF in recent months, a national strategy was outlined to tackle operational stress injuries (OSI), the most well known of which is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The most notable investment is the opening of a residential treatment facility for the long-term care of veterans having the most serious battles with OSIs, which have been known to cause violence and even suicide in some cases. Scheduled to open this fall at the Ste-Anne de Bellevue veteran’s hospital near Montreal, the 10-bed facility will be the first of its kind in Canada.

The CF already operates five Operational Trauma and Stress Support Centres (OTSSCs) and six Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) Operational Stress Injury clinics. They have all been opened within the last decade.

Additionally, the CF has created the Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) network, which provides peer counseling for veterans and their families.

According to a release in January, the CF has begun an “Enhanced Post-deployment Screening Process” to determine any mental health issues within veterans returning from combat.  The process is “a survey conducted 90-180 days after the return of deployed troops to Canada,” according to the release.

Several studies released in recent years on the prevalence of mental health issues within combat veterans have had an effect on the public’s and the military’s understanding of OSIs. Two studies conducted at McGill and released in 2007 revealed alarmingly high rates of mental health issues in veterans returning from tours in Afghanistan, and that large proportions of those veterans did not seek or receive treatment.

A study of over 8,000 Afghanistan veterans found that 14 per cent suffered from mental health disorders and most of those veterans did not seek any mental health care.  According to the study, “deployment to combat operations and witnessing atrocities were associated with increased prevalence of mental disorders and perceived need for care.”

A second study published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry in 2007 found that of the same sample group, one third had not received any treatment. Most of those who did receive treatment did so at one of the CF’s facilities.

The same study found that veterans with comorbid depression, a very serious level of depression that is very difficult to live with, were 3.75 times more likely to have sought treatment than those without.

The CF has been criticized in recent years by veterans claiming to have suffered from mental health issues such as PTSD and who felt they had been ignored or swept under the rug by the military.

The CF has admitted that attitudes towards mental injuries have contributed to the lack of attention. “The CF has recognized for some time that the stigma surrounding mental illness is a leadership issue, and has been exploring ways of creating a culture of acceptance,” said the January release.

The military also claims to have internally educated and trained 8,000 of its members on how to recognize, understand, and react to OSIs.

The American military has had similar issues with OSIs. A 2004 study in the New England Journal of Medicine on Combat Duty in Iraq and Afghanistan found that “exposure to combat was significantly greater among those who were deployed to Iraq.” 15 to 17 percent of Iraq veterans suffered specifically from PTSD, compared to 11 per cent for American Afghanistan veterans.

The U.S. military has taken actions similar to the CF. A screening questionnaire given to returning veterans was made public. It asks questions about having had serious conflicts with their spouses, family members, close friends, or at work; having nightmares or avoiding situations; being on guard, numb or detached; abusing alcohol, having a loss of pleasure, or depression. It also asks veterans about whether they are getting help, if they have asked for it, or if they would like it.