After a period of relative peace in the 1990s with little deployment of our military forces, our services were involved in a range of deployments including to East Timor, The Sinai, Iraq and Afghanistan as well as a range of other peacekeeping missions, border protection and disaster relief operations. Australians had also awakened to the real affects of Vietnam on that generation of returned soldiers and their families. The psychological consequences on service personnel involved in conflict and the subsequent impact on families are now a subject of very open conversation and media interest. Our mental health services as a result are evolving to meet the emerging needs. In the 1950s, 60s and early 70s ex-prisoners of the Second World War were writing their stories to nameless bureaucrats in an attempt to receive financial assistance from the POW Trust Fund. These were frank and honest narratives, not lists of symptoms; the transparent affects of war, and yet the public were told that POWs had recovered well from their experience. As a society, we now know better.

This symposium will hear of the research which uncovered these historic narratives, very real stories; we will hear the experiences of one returned soldier from recent conflicts and his journey to recovery; and an description of how our modern day professionals provide treatment options to ensure the best possible care both for the veteran and their families. A panel of our speakers will then take questions.

Speakers:
Professor Christina Twomey
School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies
Monash University

Dr Stephanie Hodson, CSC PhD BPsych(Hons) MAPS
Mental Health Advisor | Mental & Social Health Branch
Health & Community Services Division | Department of Veterans' Affairs

Rob Pickergill
Recent Service Veteran
ACT Reintegration Manager. ‘Soldier On’

Ann O’Kane, AMHSW, MSW, MPA
Director, Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service, Victoria (Department of Veterans Affairs)

Moderator:
Stephen Brand – Australian Association of Social Workers

Abstracts

‘A Body of Broken Men’: POWs in post-war Australia
Albert Coates, one of the most famous ex-POW doctors in Australia, declared in 1949 that it was wrong to consider that prisoners of the Japanese were ‘a body of broken men’. Coates, along with the Repatriation Commission, concluded that ex-prisoners had in fact made a better adjustment to civilian life than servicemen who had not been taken captive. This paper examines why doctors and veterans’ affairs officials continued to cling to the belief, through the 1940s and 1950s, that prisoners of the Japanese had no greater incidence of neurosis than any other member of the armed forces. It also reveals stories from an archive that contradicts these views. From 1952-1977 the POW Trust Fund received applications from former prisoners who claimed to have ongoing hardship as a result of their captivity. The applications to this fund demonstrate the precarious mental health of many ex-POWs, their belief in the reality of an ‘inferiority complex’, and their ongoing difficulties in reconnecting with families and their broader community. This testimony is especially rich, because it comes from often poorly educated or impoverished people, whose voices and experiences of mental illness are often difficult to hear.
Professor Christina Twomey
School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies
Monash University

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Recovery from the affects of combat – a modern personal story

Rob Pickergill

Rob Pickersgill joined the Army in 1992 at age 17, seeking a stable career in the military and the opportunity to take part in work for the community. Rob has a family history of military service, his grandfather served in WWI and WWII, his uncle in Vietnam and his father in the CMF/Reserves.

Posted to various bases along the East Coast, Rob was deployed to Rwanda, East Timor and Iraq over what was a 23 year career. He said Rwanda was one of the most challenging deployments due to the nature of the conflict. He saw many people with severe wounds, who were taken to the Australian soldiers for medical care. These were usually victims of land mines and gunshot wounds. There as an infantry soldier providing protection for the medical mission, Rob’s unit saw a lot of children in particular, suffering from severe injuries and ultimately death. Rob was deployed to East Timor in 1999, as part of an international peacemaking task force led by Australia. Two tours to Iraq in 2004 and 2005 then followed, which is one of the most challenging environments. Rob’s unit was directly targeted by rifle fire, rocket fire and car bomb attacks, resulting in some of Rob’s mates being severely wounded. It was this operation that lead to Rob succumbing to PTSD and anxiety, although Rob notes it had been suppressed since his deployment to Rwanda as a 19 year old soldier.

Rob is now employed by Soldier On, a not for profit organisation that has also assisted him in finding a stable footing in life and has helped him recognise that what he has experienced is in fact normal.

Rob Pickergill
Recent Service Veteran
ACT Reintegration Manager. ‘Soldier On’

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Military and Veteran Mental Health – Ensuring the best possible care

With the Century of ANZAC and more than two decades of high operational tempo, the broader community, health providers and researchers are increasingly interested in the mental health impact of deployment. This interest is not only in the level of disorder but the most effective treatments in order to ensure the best possible care. The challenge for mental health providers is monitoring emerging developments in treatment when there are so many electronic information sources. A cornerstone of the Veteran Mental Health Strategy is the development of an evidence base. Tools like the ‘Veteran Evidence Compass’ and ‘At Ease Professional’, developed by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, allows monitoring and dissemination of trends in the veteran literature. This presentation will summarise for health providers the emerging literature in the areas of reducing stigma around mental health, evidence based treatment of mental health conditions including depression and PTSD, as well as emerging therapies. Importantly, it discusses the implication for both service system enhancements but also individual clinical practice.

Dr Stephanie Hodson, CSC PhD BPsych(Hons) MAPS
Mental Health Advisor | Mental & Social Health Branch
Health & Community Services Division | Department of Veterans' Affairs

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Impact of war on families

Over the last 100 years (1915-2015) Australian families have experienced the aftermath of military operations. Our public focus in understanding the impact of war has been on the veteran. The members of the veteran’s family – partners, children, parents - have not been in the forefront of policy, programs or national narratives about war.

Each generation has dealt with the aftermath of war within the social mores of the time. Up until the 1970s veterans and their families appeared stoic and grateful for support. Australia’s Vietnam veterans, in a changed society, started to put pressure on the government to do more, not only for veterans but also their families. This advocacy saw the emergence of the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS).

Although many veterans still actively engage in the workforce, they may be struggling with managing the emotional and mental impacts of operational service. While they try to keep things together in the workplace, at home within the family environment it can be very different. Family problems tend to build over time, with the ‘normal’ milestones and challenges. Combining this with having a veteran parent with symptoms impacting on their communication, emotional availability, ability to problem solve and nurture children, then family life can become very challenging.

This presentation will focus on the impact for families and describe some lessons learnt at VVCS in providing family sensitive services for the Australian veteran community.

Ann O’Kane, AMHSW, MSW, MPA
Director, Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service, Victoria (Department of Veterans Affairs)