Not enough military staff to fight PTSD for Canadian troops

Not enough military staff to fight PTSD among returning soldiers: ombudsman
MURRAY BREWSTER
The Canadian Press
Published Monday, Sep. 17 2012

The military ombudsman says National Defence has not hired enough psychiatrists and other mental-health professionals to deal with a cresting tide of post-traumatic stress cases.

Pierre Daigle released a report Monday that challenges many of the reassurances the Harper government has given about the treatment of soldiers returning from the Afghan war.

He said there is a big gap between what the system can deliver and what it actually does for troops who’ve witnessed horrors overseas, and for their families.

“This gap is primarily the result of a chronic inability to achieve, or come close to achieving, the established manning level of the mental-health function,” said the 99-page report, tabled Monday just as Parliament resumed after its summer recess.

It said this shortfall has a profound impact on the front line delivery of care, treatment and support to military members with post-traumatic stress disorder and other stress injuries and to their families.

In some instances, the system is operating with 15 to 22 per cent fewer caregivers than needed.
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