RSA calls for post-traumatic stress disorder to be referred to as wounds or injuries

RSA national support services manager Mark Compain says describing a raft of symptoms as a disorder was "dumbing down" how profound the condition could be. Photo / File

The RSA is calling for post-traumatic stress disorder to be referred to as a battle wound to properly reflect what service people go through.

RSA national support services manager Mark Compain said in an article on the RSA website that describing a raft of symptoms as a disorder was "dumbing down" how profound the condition could be.

"The nature of operational service has changed since the 1960s due in part to the way modern conflict is fought in today's operational theatres. Our service men and women go into environments where the enemy cannot be easily identified, where there is no frontline, while still carrying significant weight on their back and around their bodies that their forebears knew," said Compain, a former veteran of five overseas deployments and 21 years in the regular army.

"They can be exposed to a range of environmental risk factors while constantly on guard from threats that hide among the local population and erupt with little warning - like IEDs that can be activated at distance with the flick of a switch - or constantly processing vast amounts of information to prevent illegal activity, on the land or sea or in the air.

"This is what the day-to-day reality of contemporary operations is, and operating for months at a time in this environment without a break can take a toll. This can then be amplified by our people conducting multiple operational tours."

The toll can result in a wound for some, officially known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which manifests, impacts and plays-out in the physical and mental health of not only veteran personnel, but also as secondary trauma among their family members.

Research showed those suffering from PTSD had sustained a brain injury, he said.

"While the RSA recognises there is a broader mental health picture to also consider, we have made a decision to focus on combat trauma and PTSI advocacy. Trauma can physically change the brain's processing pathways, a person cannot help this, so the RSA wants to change the incorrect perceptions and stigmatisation associated with PTSD by referring to it as a wound, and using the term Post Traumatic Stress Injury - PTSI.

"This much more properly describes what the service person has sustained and gives long overdue validation to their wounding and suffering, including the long term impacts on their families."

Compain said until recently the RSA had done little nationally to proactively identify their concerns and raise awareness about the realities of modern service.

He said some service people were suffering in isolation from traditional support networks such as family and friends, and would float under the radar.

"Despite the best of intentions, the RSA has not yet cracked the problem of being the safe, trusted 'go to' organisation of choice for them, and to be able to understand and offer relevant support in timely ways," he said.