Eighty-seven troops have been released from the Defence Force on mental health grounds in the past five years and a further 67 needed help after assisting in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake, new figures show. Defence Force chief Lieutenant General Rhys Jones has written to soldiers urging them to seek help for mental illnesses …
Category: Latest News
Oct 02
Macho-man approach ‘hinders’ bid to help
By DANYA LEVY Bill Blaikie: Fighting back. A TOP-RANKING former soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder says New Zealand’s ‘‘macho man’’ attitude discourages people from seeking help. Lieutenant Colonel Bill Blaikie was the deputy director of intelligence for the combined forces in Afghanistan and was made a member of the Order of Merit in 2005. However, after …
Sep 10
Wounds of war – when the human fallout goes beyond the battlefield
And then there are the other, less immediately obvious wounds. The Australian Defence Force says four Afghanistan veterans – one had also seen duty in Iraq – have committed suicide. All were still in military service when they took their lives. Accurate records are not kept of suicides among veterans once they leave. Thousands more will …
Sep 02
Australian Defence Force Mental Health Reform Program
The highest rated barrier to seeking help was concern that it would reduce deployability (36.9%). The most frequently perceived stigma for ADF members was that people would treat them differently if they sought care (27.6%), and that seeking care would harm their career (26.9%). Almost one in five personnel (17.9%) reported that they had sought help for a …
Aug 31
Affects of PTSD on Australian soldiers unknown
Young Australian Soldiers fighting on the front line are returning home very different people and their families can hardly recognise them? An increasing number of men and women serving in Australian forces are being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after their deployment. More…
Aug 31
Debriefing, Social Support and PTSD in the New Zealand Police
Abstract Organisations whose workers risk traumatic exposure, are increasingly interested in preventing sequelae such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A common intervention is the provision of psychological debriefing following trauma. In accordance with recent criticisms of this approach, Harvey (1996) has proposed a multidimensional model of trauma recovery. The present study tested some of …
Aug 28
Criticism of NZ Defence Force Care Unfounded
Recent criticism in the media about the Government’s lack of support for ‘shell-shocked’ soldiers is unfounded says the NZ Defence Force. Head of Health for the NZ Defence Force, Surgeon Captain (SGNCAPT) Alison Drewry says that all NZDF personnel deployed on operational missions receive psychological and physical health support before, during and after their deployment. …
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