The War WithinLink.
Reporter: Nick McKenzie
Broadcast: 30/03/2009
With the Australian Defence Force being stretched to the limit in combat zones across the globe, the number of troops arriving home with post traumatic stress has risen alarmingly.
Is the Defence Force and the Department of Veterans Affairs doing enough to help these people deal with the horror of war? No is the answer from a top secret government report that estimates a majority of veterans are receiving sub-standard treatment.
It's been described as shell-shock, battle fatigue and post traumatic stress dis-order (PTSD) but, whatever it's called, those who have it know it's a living hell.
Just a smell, even a noise, can plunge a soldier into a traumatic episode that recalls the horror of war.
Monday, March 30, 2009
ABC 4 corners - About Iraq and our soldiers there
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1 comment:
The programme was fair treatment, if a bit sensationalist.
I can speak to this from personal experience - not as a sufferer, but as a volunteer counsellor many years ago with Vietnam Vets. Many of these guys live their own particular version of hell.
To a large extent this is a hidden problem. In that sense it's bit like depression. It needs to be brought out into the open. There needs to be support for the partners and children, as they also suffer. The situation is slowly improving, but it could be a lot better.
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