Soldiers' stress takes long-term toll
December 18, 2008
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Joanna Smith
OTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWA–It took him a long time to recover from those words.
After hearing family members tell him he had changed from the fun-loving guy he used to be – and a threat from his wife to get help or get out – Chuck Marazzo finally worked up the courage to tell his military boss about the angry outbursts and hyper-vigilance he had been experiencing.
"When I went to talk to my higher-ups – my sergeant-major – he just told me I was weak and, you know, to deal with it," Marazzo, 50, said yesterday from his home in Kilworth, Ont., just west of London, as he recalled a conversation he had in 1997 before being released from the Canadian Forces for post-traumatic stress disorder.
"It took a lot of years to get over just that statement, because sometimes living with the stigma is worse than living with the injury itself," said Marazzo, whose 21-year career took him from Cyprus to Rwanda.
The stigma surrounding mental illness remains one of the greatest challenges facing the Canadian Forces today, the military ombudsman said in a report on operational stress injuries released yesterday.
"It is clear that stereotypes and stigma associated with operational stress injuries still remain a real problem," Ombudsman Mary McFadyen told reporters yesterday.
"Cultural change is needed and that must come from the top."
The 62-page report is a follow-up to a 2002 assessment of operational stress injuries and notes that while there has been progress – including a plan to hire 218 new mental health professionals by next March – 18 of the 31 recommendations from the initial report have not been fully implemented.
Based on interviews with more than 360 current and former military members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or other operational stress injuries – along with caregivers, all levels of the military chain of command and other stakeholders – the report concluded some military personnel are not diagnosed properly or getting the treatment they need.
"The consequences for individuals who fall through the cracks are often devastating and long-lasting," McFadyen wrote in the report.
The main problems involved broader issues like leadership and data collection, which has prevented the military from co-ordinating efforts at the national level to provide consistent care across Canada.
She also pointed to a lack of resources and to red tape that makes it hard for those with stress-related injuries to continue contributing to the military by switching jobs.
She said the mission in Afghanistan, which has strained the military "almost to the breaking point," has made things worse.
Military psychiatrist Lt.-Col. Rakesh Jetly, fielding questions for the defence department yesterday, said the military has progressed "light years" when it comes to the stigma around mental health.
Jetly described how leadership in Kandahar has asked him to speak with troops after a tough week.
"To me that is a definite acknowledgement that psychological stressors can affect their people as well as acknowledgement that mental health professionals can help," he said.
Even Marazzo, now involved with military peer support programs, said things have improved.
"I like to tell them that they're not alone, that there are other soldiers out there that have gone through what they've gone through – and just don't give up on themselves," he said.
Toronto Star
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