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.

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.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 at 2:53 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.