Scope and Implications are Stunning!

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/Mental+health+adviser+urges+PTSD+action/7293930/story.html#ixzz27xu2MZWxory.html#ixzz27sIW45iv

“More than 10 years of war in southwest Asia has created a major problem in military families of post-traumatic stress disorder that will remain a paramount healthcare issue for years to come, according to a high-level tri-country symposium held here Monday.
The symposium, which featured top military and civilian experts from Britain, Canada and the United States, marked the first time the NATO allies have come together to share their experiences and knowledge of PTSD.”

“We don’t want the people of Canada, the leadership and the soldiers themselves to conclude that since we are sort of drawing down on the combat operations that we are going to see less of the mental health issues that we are seeing impacting our members and their families,” Colonel Rakesh Jetly, psychiatry and mental health adviser to the Canadian Forces Surgeon General, said. “For years after deployment conditions can emerge.”

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/Mental+health+adviser+urges+PTSD+action/7293930/story.html#ixzz2AVHpGKc9

The recent tri-country symposium, a gathering of NATO allies, addressed very serious life after war consequences of PTSD and moral injury on families.  In the past, when wars ended we often dropped the ball on the intergenerational affects of PTSD and the lingering affects on families.  More awareness and research has provided a more realistic and urgent focus on life after war by developing plans and provide continued support to families who otherwise might have to live and cope with post war trauma.  But we still have the stigma of mental health issues, especially for younger veterans who need to find jobs, finish school, and support families.  The younger generation of warriors often have to “suck it up” for fear that diagnosis and treatment of PTSD could hold them back or actually ruin their chances for a career.  We must continue to find ways of removing the stigma of mental health challenges and create of culture of early treatment without the perception of risk.  Those suffering from the symptoms of PTSD may function effectively for the most part during the work day, but often have severe problems coping away from school or work when home with their loved ones.  Families consequently face toxic conditions at home, including emotional and physical abuse, creating an exponential secondary PTSD circumstance, as happened in my own family for many decades.  Reading my book is an excellent way of looking closely at a real life case study of living and coping with PTSD without treatment.  My book can be purchased from this website by clicking the book cover to the left of the top of this posting.


Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story