…..”When we send people to war, we ask a select group of mostly young Australians to prepare themselves to kill or die to defend the nation. That is at the heart of the challenge of military mental health and suicide. The sense of responsibility, the comradeship, the tough internal culture, the mental preparedness, not to mention the experience of combat, can have lasting effects.

A groundswell of concern is being fuelled by revelations that the suicide rate among veterans aged 18 to 24 is double that of their peers in the general community. Among those aged 25 to 29 it is 1.5 times the national average for their age. Those figures, from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare from November, are based on a tally of 292 certified suicides between 2001 and 2014. This total is regarded as conservative by most veterans groups, some of which counted between 70 and 80 military suicides last year alone.”

“For every suicide there are many more veterans of the Afghanistan, Iraq and East Timor era who have plumbed the depths but managed somehow to climb out of the hole and often gone on to form their own groups to help others. Invariably they describe moments that were, in retrospect, turning points but at the time could have gone the other way.”

Read the full article here

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Dan Tehan said improvements to an online resource for current and former members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) would better help them manage stress.

Mr Tehan said the High Res website had been updated following user feedback to make it easier to use.

“The High Res website is a valuable tool that current and former ADF personnel can use to help them manage stress,” Mr Tehan said.

“Improvements to the website include a simple step-by-step guide to developing a personal action plan, tips for better sleep and self-help tools on controlled breathing, muscle relaxation, managing negative or distracting thoughts and emotions.
“Current and former ADF personnel are increasingly seeking digital support and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) is meeting this growing need through a range of mental health websites and apps.

The High Res resource can be accessed through DVA’s At Ease portal

7th March 2017

Media enquiries:
Minister Tehan’s Office: Byron Vale, 0428 262 894
Department of Veterans’ Affairs Media: 02 6289 6203

Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS) can be reached 24 hours a day across Australia for crisis support and free and confidential counselling. Phone 1800 011 046 (international: +61 8 8241 45 46). VVCS is a service founded by Vietnam veterans.

The Australian Malarial Institute has conducted questionable trials into both mefloquine and tafenoquine with recorded adverse consequences to many who have taken them.

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The Government today received the National Mental Health Commission’s (NMHC) review of suicide and self-harm services for veterans and members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel Dan Tehan and Minister for Health Greg Hunt acknowledged receipt of the review.
“The Government has a responsibility to the men and women who defend our nation and we are committed to addressing veteran and ADF suicide,” Mr Tehan said.
“The Government will look closely at the recommendations in this review and respond in due course. We will also release the full review to the public on Thursday.
“This review will complement other Government initiatives to tackle suicide.
“We have made mental health treatment free for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and drug and alcohol misuse conditions for anyone who has served one day in the full-time ADF.
“And last year the Government released the first-ever robust data on the incidence of suicide among past and present ADF personnel and more specific findings will be released this year.”

Minister Hunt said the findings and recommendations from the Review would be an important consideration in the rollout of mental health services.
“We’ve already announced the establishment of 12 suicide prevention trial sites across Australia – including one in the Townsville region that will have a focus on veterans’ mental health,” Mr Hunt said.
“The Commission’s report will be used as a guide to inform ongoing trial design and suicide prevention strategies developed and implemented.”

28th March 2017

Last year the Government said it sought to relieve the concerns of many in the ADF and ex-service community of the anti-malarial drug, Mefloquine. Their ability to deliver on this has been underwhelming.

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Here is DVA’s advice regarding after-hours care in Darwin for veterans experiencing an acute mental health crisis.

“The most appropriate response in a mental health emergency or acute crisis situation, irrespective of location, is for the individual to be admitted to the emergency department of their closest public hospital. In Darwin, this would be the Royal Darwin Hospital. Individuals would expect an assessment by the mental health on-call team and triage to either a public medical ward, a secure mental health facility, or discharge to the care of family/friend. This is a universal best-practice response to dealing with acute mental health crises, particularly in instances where an individual is suspected of being at risk to themselves or others. The Northern Territory Government also recommends that residents experiencing a crisis contact the Northern Territory Mental Health Access Team by calling the NT Mental Health Line: 1800 682 288.

The Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS) offers a specialised after-hours crisis telephone service, Veterans’ Line, which affords a degree of immediacy and anonymity to individuals in crisis. In 2015-16, over 6200 individuals called this national service. In the event that an individual is in an acute crisis, the service may contact local emergency services so that the individual can be appropriately assessed by health professionals. Where there is not a crisis but serious concerns, the police may be called and a welfare check requested.

Wherever possible, VVCS will endeavour to assist and facilitate access to an appropriate counsellor or secondary referral, however VVCS is a community-based mental health service provider. VVCS core business is not responding as a crisis service for acute mentally-ill patients – the most appropriate course of action is admission to an emergency department of the local hospital. If individuals have concerns regarding their own mental health or that of others, they can contact VVCS to discuss. If an individual is concerned about VVCS treatment or accessibility, they may contact Mr Marcus Schmidt, Director VVCS SA/NT on 1800 011 046 or [email protected].

Where it is necessary for individuals to access specialised longer term care following an acute episode, and that treatment cannot be provided locally, DVA can pay for travel. The client is not expected to pay and seek reimbursement.  Under the Repatriation Transport Scheme, DVA can arrange travel (including air travel) to enable a client to seek the most appropriate form of medical treatment from the closest practical provider. In instances where this occurs, consideration is given to the stability of the client’s condition(s), the location of family and supports, and the type of treatment required.

Note that Lifeline is a national telephone service and calls to Lifeline may be made from Darwin. A list of after-hours telephone services is available on the Northern Territory (NT) Government website

Do you believe you may have developed PTSD during or after your military service?

If so, consider participating in a new treatment trial – the RESTORE trial (i.e., Rapid Exposure Supporting Trauma Recovery).

This trial will be conducted from four sites: Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS) offices in Brisbane and Sydney, the ADF Centre for Mental Health in Sydney, and Phoenix Australia in Melbourne.

This trial will investigate whether an intensive delivery of prolonged exposure therapy, involving 10 sessions over a two week period, will deliver outcomes which are comparable to standard prolonged exposure treatment. Early evidence suggests that intensive exposure therapy is as effective as the standard approach, but to date there have been no rigorous studies comparing the effectiveness of the two options in a real-world clinical setting.

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