The Royal Canadian Legion’s donations will support therapies for veterans trying to live with post-traumatic stress disorder
Photo: iStock/Bumblee_Dee.
The Royal Canadian Legion recently announced that it intends to provide $300,000 to Project Trauma Support, a support group for military veterans and RCMP officers suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The first of three $100,000 donations was presented in late July.
The project provides therapeutic programs to men and women to help them cope with past trauma. According to the Legion, more than 250 men and women have completed the program; more than half were currently serving in the military or were veterans.
“This is an amazing initiative that is demonstrating some pretty incredible outcomes,” Thomas D. Irvine, Dominion President of the Legion, said in a statement.
“We want to support additional veteran and RCMP officer participation, and research to learn more about how and why the program works—including whether it can help prevent medical discharge in serving members.”
Veterans Affairs Canada estimates that up to 10 per cent of war zone veterans will experience PTSD.
Those suffering from PTSD often experience severe flashbacks, irritability, anxiety, and other symptoms frequently seen in depression, such as a loss of interest in things one used to find enjoyable. The disorder can often weaken one’s relationships with one’s family, partner, or colleagues, and many suffering from the disorder are isolated as a result.
Project Trauma Support offers free peer support groups not only to those in the military but also first responders such as police officers, firefighters, and paramedics.
A 2018 study of 5,000 public-safety professionals in Canada found that paramedics, emergency dispatchers, jail guards, police officers, and firefighters experience higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviour than the general population.
