The number of people with mental health issues, especially post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has risen considerably in the past decade. The majority of those suffering are military personnel and first responders – for whom memories of past experiences have become a harrowing, yet routine part of their daily lives. Camp Aftermath, an undertaking of the Aftermath Association, has taken a philanthropic healing approach to support veterans and first responders who are suffering from PTSD.
FrontLine Defence Magazine Canada
Search
(2018,
issue 5)
BY NICOLA DAVIES [field_writer2]
A recent Johnson and Johnson survey revealed that 81% of first responders and military members suffer from some form of mental distress.
According to Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Canada, mental disorders or syndromes are believed to be the third most common cause of short-term disability. In this article, we explore psychological flexibility and how it can help ease the psychological impact of frontline work.
There are many pathways to psychological flexibility, and building resilience is one of them.
(2018,
issue 1)
BY NICOLA DAVIES [field_writer2]
Frontline workers are exposed to varying degrees of traumatic situations almost daily, increasing the prevalence of mental health issues and associated sleep disorders. Indeed, 2017 research from Johnson & Johnson shows that Canadian military service members and first responders struggle to get support for their own health needs.
(2018,
[field_writer2]
Media are invited to attend a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) panel discussion on mental health for Bell Let’s Talk Day.
The eighth annual Bell Let’s Talk Day is on Wednesday, January 31, 2018. The CAF is a longstanding partner with Bell in this initiative to continue the conversation around mental health and stigma.
(2018,
[field_writer2]
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Department of National Defence (DND) held multiple mental health awareness events across Canada today, in support of the Bell Let’s Talk campaign against stigma surrounding mental illness.
(2017,
issue 1)
BY NICOLA DAVIES [field_writer2]
The Positive Side of Post-traumatic Stress
Exposure to trauma is commonplace for men and women in the fire and rescue service. Prior to becoming official fire and rescue personnel, they undergo a recruitment and selection process followed by rigorous training and development to help them navigate through dangerous situations with as few fatalities and injuries as possible. Despite this, constantly being exposed to large fires and health hazards, and at the same time dealing with burn victims and injured comrades, can take its toll, making them susceptible to post-traumatic stress.
(2016,
issue 3)
BY VALARIE FINDLAY [field_writer2]
The boiling anger in the U.S. over police ‘use of force’, and charges of racism and racial-bias can’t help but spill over into Canada, and its affect has been profound as we wrestle with our own issues. True, the challenges in policing can vary distinctly between the U.S. and Canada, but the public reacts with the same mistrust when things go awry.
(2016,
issue 1)
[field_writer2] BY ALAIN CROTEAU AND KHALED BELHASSINE
The evaluation and integration of all SAR-related knowledge can help search managers consider and integrate many analytic factors that should help find missing wanderers in less time, and with better end results.
(2016,
[field_writer2]
Senator Bob Runciman is pushing the federal government to institute a scholarship fund for the families of federal public safety officers killed in the line of duty.
In a statement in the Senate last week, Runciman urged Finance Minister Bill Morneau to put the measure in his upcoming budget.
(2016,
[field_writer2]
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has issued a statement on the review of workplace harassment within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). This is the full text of his statement:
"The Prime Minister has given me a clear mandate to ensure that the RCMP is a healthy workplace, free from harassment and sexual violence.
(2016,
[field_writer2]
The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Status of Women, today hosted an informative gender-focused discussion with experts in various related fields as part of public consultations taking place across the country to inform a new defence policy for Canada.
Meeting participants included academics and subject matter experts from a variety of non-governmental organizations, including the Institute for Inclusive Security and the White Ribbon Campaign.
Today’s discussion focused on five main points:
(2016,
[field_writer2]
Each year, the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada release a report on the state of public health in this country. This year, he has chosen to focus on family violence in Canada:
Family violence is not just about physical abuse. It comes in many forms, including sexual, emotional and financial abuse, as well as neglect.
The statistics are staggering:
In Canada, every day, just over 230 Canadians are reported as victims of family violence.
(2014,
issue 3)
BY NICOLA DAVIES [field_writer2]
The mind is the most powerful tool we have at our disposal, and its abilities shouldn’t be taken for granted. Memories stored in our brain constitute a large part of who we are, and our long-term memory allows us to memorize not only facts, but also repetitive physical movements. This is known as muscle memory, or motor learning, a type of procedural memory that is developed by programming a specific motor task or movement into the brain’s memory through repetition.
(2014,
issue 2)
[field_writer2] BY DR PAULA STEWART
“A Healthy and Active society is a Secure society.”
This outcome depends on the availability and support for training, education and physical fitness and the availability of proper employment, remuneration and accommodation for all.
One Last Thing
(2013,
issue 3)
BY SCOTT NEWARK [field_writer2]
One of the most important issues in policy development is to make sure that the subject being scrutinized is accurately identified so the right questions can be asked to help get the most effective answers. This is critical because the converse is also true; ask the wrong questions and you will get the wrong answers.
(2012,
issue 4)
BY RICHARD BRAY [field_writer2]
Many people believe the sale of contraband tobacco is a “victimless crime,” acknowledges Gary Grant, a retired police officer and spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco. In fact, he suggests every Canadian is a victim of the contraband tobacco chain. Profit from Illegal cigarettes finances criminal gangs, cuts legitimate tax revenues, defeats attempts to discourage tobacco use (which is overloading the health care system), and harms new generations of Canadian young people every day.
(2011,
issue 4)
BY RICHARD OGLE [field_writer2]
John is a 40-year-old police officer who recently sought medical attention for repeated nightmares, difficulty sleeping, and vivid flashbacks of a traumatic encounter he experienced over six months ago while on duty.
(2011,
issue 4)
BY SARAH HENRY [field_writer2]
John is a 40-year-old police officer who recently sought medical attention for repeated nightmares, difficulty sleeping, and vivid flashbacks of a traumatic encounter he experienced over six months ago while on duty.
Supt Michel Aubin
(2008,
issue 2)
BY CLIVE ADDY [field_writer2]
In the Drug Situation Report – 2006, the RCMP presented for the first time the troubling fact that: “Within a two year period, Canada has reversed its Ecstasy supply pattern status from an import and consumer nation to a major production and export country.” Continued smuggling of the MDMA precursor chemical MDP2P from China to Canada in 2006 confirmed heightened domestic Ecstasy manufacture.