Canada: "PTSD is a horrendous injury"

‘They’re not to be shunned, they’re to be respected’
BY LETHBRIDGE HERALD
MARCH 27, 2014

“When a veteran is wounded, it’s not just the one individual, it affects the whole family; it’s the children, it’s the spouses, everyone who knows that individual,” Critchley said.

Steve Critchley says his organization, Can Praxis, unlike the federal government, “walks the talk” when it comes to helping Canada’s veterans deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although he doesn’t like to use the word “disorder.”

“That actually upsets me. The evidence now shows that there is physical damage to the brain,” Critchley said as he presented “How are Canadian military veterans surviving in a civilian world?” to SACPA at Country Kitchen Catering Thursday afternoon.

“These individuals are wounded. They’re not to be shunned, they’re to be respected. The challenge is that you cannot see mental injuries. PTSD is a horrendous injury. It really messes people up in an ugly way. There’s no easy fix for it.”

PTSD affects personalities, relationships, sex drive and even the ability to hold a simple conversation. But it also affects people differently and there is no one cure-all solution, said Critchley, a retired former harassment investigator, harassment adviser and an assisting officer for the Canadian Forces.
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