sa国际传媒 asks much of its sons and daughters who answer the call to put on military uniforms. When they in turn call for help, we must answer. Cpl. Stuart Langridge, son of Victorians Sheila and Shaun Fynes, called for help and didn鈥檛 get it. He committed suicide in Edmonton in 2008, and it has been a long struggle to get answers from the Canadian military.
While the inquiry into his death that concluded in October 2012 has brought attention to the needs of soldiers, sailors and aircrew, suicides have continued, including several in the past few months. In November and December, four members of the Canadian Forces killed themselves only days apart.
The military has been slow to respond to the problem.
Sheila Fynes has noticed the growth of an informal movement among soldiers to check up on each other. That is a promising development, because those who live and work closely together are more likely to see signs of trouble than are those higher up the chain of command.
It also suggests a change in attitudes. Armies need soldiers to be tough, and sympathy for anyone who is seen as 鈥渨eak鈥� is in short supply. It鈥檚 reinforced by the rule that requires all members be ready for deployment at any moment.
Langridge tried to commit suicide five times in 2007, but instead of being helped, he was punished and ostracized.
Making a dent in that culture is difficult, but a recognition is growing that someone suffering from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder needs help just as much as a soldier with a bullet wound.
The leaders of the Canadian Forces have begun to step up with awareness campaigns, an important improvement because change in the military will only come if it is supported at the top. They have urged Forces members to take advantage of the programs available and seek help.
That message doesn鈥檛 go far enough. As Fynes says, it dumps the responsibility onto the individual. For many who are ill, it鈥檚 a load they can鈥檛 carry.
The scope of the military鈥檚 problem is unclear. The Forces say between 10 and 22 members have killed themselves each year between 2010 and 2013, but the exact numbers for individual years differ from report to report. And the military doesn鈥檛 track suicides among former members or reservists.
A report by the military鈥檚 surgeon general found that suicide rates were stable during the past decade and were lower than for the rest of the population. However, one former medical officer pointed out that members are screened when they enter the Forces, so they have no chronic or terminal illnesses, so a lower rate is likely.
Of the 39,000 members who went to Afghanistan, 13 per cent were diagnosed with mental illness related to their deployment. The report also said it could find no increase in suicides among those who went to Afghanistan compared to those who didn鈥檛.
The Forces need to do more research, including tracking former members and reservists, to understand the effects of PTSD.
In 2012, the military set aside $11 million to recruit psychological support staff, and found about 80 who were qualified. They haven鈥檛 been hired yet, but the decision is another sign that the Forces are starting to take the issue seriously.
Those who deal with suicide inside and outside the military know we can鈥檛 leave intervention entirely in the hands of someone who is ill. Family members, co-workers and superiors who are alert will see signs that the person cannot see.
Suicide is a tragedy, and preventing it takes teamwork. The military, which prides itself on being a family, is better placed than most employers to spot problems in time.
