In announcing his retirement, Dr. Smith said he has always known his role was to build a foundation of solid business practices, establish and support meaningful stakeholder engagement, and recruit a strong team who could support a smoothly running operation into the future. “This was not a timeline specific purpose, but rather one of building the team, getting things firing on all cylinders, and stepping away to watch the organization take flight,” he said.

Reflecting on building a pan-Canadian presence for a new organization during a global pandemic, Dr. Smith says the successes achieved in the very short term of the Centre’s existence, are beyond his expectations. “We have established a Network of Networks model anchored by four reference groups reflective of diverse Veterans, Veteran Families, service providers, and researchers. We’ve also established an international reputation as a trusted research partner and have built strategic partnerships with Veteran and Family-serving organizations. We’ve built a team of experts including Veteran and Family advisors embedded into the fabric of how we work. This model of partnering with lived expertise guides us in helping to build access to safe, high-quality resources and supports that protect the dignity of Veterans and Veteran Families, and provide a foundation for hope, connection, and community.”

Scott McLean, Chair of the CoE’s Board, said while seeing a visionary leader such as Dr. Smith move on from the Centre is difficult, he is confident in the strong foundation that has been built. “I would like to congratulate Patrick on bringing us to where we are today, and wish him well in his retirement. I would also like to welcome Fardous Hosseiny as our incoming President and CEO. Having worked extensively with him at a leadership level, I am confident in the future of the Centre of Excellence and the strength of the leadership team as we move into this next stage of the organization.”

Fardous Hosseiny said he is deeply honoured to be entrusted with the opportunity to move ahead with the direction set with Veterans and their Family members over the past several months, and on the strength of the foundation that was built with Dr. Smith. Hosseiny added that he is pleased to work with MaryAnn Notarianni who will step into the role of Deputy CEO and Vice President, Knowledge Mobilization, and Joy Pavelich who will round out the Executive leadership team as Executive Vice-President of Strategy and Operations.

Report Indicates Moms, Dads, Siblings and even Grandparents Play Significant Support Roles

Ottawa, ON — November 16, 2021 — New findings reveal the parents and Families of military Veterans are often a forgotten yet vital support network helping to prevent suicide among our armed services men and women.

And these Family members also experience trauma of their own while attempting to care for military personnel and Veterans in crisis, while facing a lack of information, resources, and professional supports.

These revelations are contained in a research project co-led by the Centre of Excellence on PTSD (CoE – PTSD), which is hosting the Families Matter webinar on November 24, sharing early findings from Drs. Heidi Cramm and Denise DuBois of the Families Matter Research Group at Queen’s University.

The webinar will provide the opportunity to discuss these findings with a diverse group of panelists. It will bring the experiences and needs of Families to the forefront of the discussion, exploring how, when, and where Families are included in the discourse of military and Veteran suicide prevention initiatives internationally.

Fardous Hosseiny, Deputy CEO of the CoE – PTSD said that engaging in this research reflects a shift in thinking about Families of military and Veterans not only to support operational readiness, but also in how they have their own needs and experiences related to military service.

Suicide and suicide prevention are ongoing concerns within military and Veteran communities around the world. Dr. Cramm emphasizes how suicide deeply affects military and Veteran Families in multiple ways: “Service personnel and Veterans lost to suicide are people who are part of Family ecosystems. Their experiences do not happen in isolation. There is a ripple effect on the Family unit,” she said. “Our research is intended to look beyond the individual, to strengthen not just them, but the systems which surround them, as well as the Family members themselves who are also personally impacted.”

The project has looked at military and Veteran suicide research, as well as suicide prevention policies and programs in countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Israel, and Denmark. This international comparison has shown both how Families have been included in policies, programs, and services, and the ongoing disparities in research and services that exist.

Hosseiny said that, to date, there had not been a systematic synthesis of research evidence aimed at understanding how military and Veteran Families have been engaged within military systems in suicide prevention, crisis interventions, or postvention, or how research evidence is reflected in policies, services, and programs for military and Veteran Families.

The Centre of Excellence on PTSD and Related Mental Health Conditions wants to shine a light on the emotional complexities and conflicts, compounded by COVID-19, that arise for many Veterans during the holiday season.

CANADA — December 8, 2020 — There are just under 650,000 Veterans in Canada, as well as countless families, caregivers, friends, doctors, colleagues, and others who have a Veteran in their inner circle. For many, the holidays can bring a feeling of anxiety and pressure to “play a part” in the rituals of the season. For many Veterans, the holiday season can be a hard reminder of celebrations missed, of comrades who have lost their lives tragically, and of the deep suffering seen in war zones. For many families this may be their first holiday season without their loved one. For many Veterans who have seen the poverty and scarcity experienced by so many around the world, this time can feel wasteful and upsetting. However, joy, gratitude and love are felt by many as well. The holidays are a time of emotional complexities.

The Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Related Mental Health Conditions wants Veterans, their families, friends, and caregivers to know it is normal to be surrounded by people and still feel loneliness. Veterans can be spreading kindness during this season and still feel hopeless. It’s possible to be experiencing the joys of this season with people you love and still feel discouraged. Veterans and their loved ones are not alone – there are many resources that can help.

For many Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, their military service is the best time of their lives. It is a time of peak physical condition and close-knit camaraderie, where comrades have your back and everyone has a meaningful role. Working together to serve and protect the country involves a deep and abiding sense of mission and purpose, all based on a military code of duty, pride and honour that can be difficult for civilians to understand.

Release from the service can be a huge shock, and civilian society can be perceived as slack and indifferent in equal measure. This can make social connection difficult, with one study indicating that one-third of Canadian Veterans experience low levels of social support after release, which can contribute towards loneliness, isolation, and mental health challenges.

In fact, one large scale Veterans Affairs Canada survey reports that 24% of regular force Veterans have a diagnosed mental illness such as anxiety, depression or PTSD. While suicide remains a rare event for Veterans, another report released earlier this year indicates that Veterans have a 40% higher risk of dying by suicide than non-Veterans.

Importantly, Veterans’ mental health and social integration are hampered by harmful stereotypes, based upon unfounded concerns that Veterans are a threat to the public and primed to ‘snap’ unpredictably. For example, one US study found that Veterans reported that people often perceived them as ‘crazy’, ‘dangerous’ or ‘violent’, while another US study found that hiring managers often held negative stereotypes that Veterans are ‘bitter’, ‘angry’ or ‘withdrawn’.

However, some research indicates that journalism can contribute to such harmful stereotypes. One report notes that the US media often frames Veterans in unflattering terms, referring to them as ‘ticking time bombs’ or ‘damaged and unstable’, with an absence of positive, well-rounded stories. This situation led the US National Veterans Foundation to state that ‘the media is the main culprit in fostering negative stereotypes about Veterans’.

To date, most research on media coverage of Veterans has come from the US, with an absence of research on this topic in Canada. That said, the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs Canada states in its Joint Suicide Prevention Strategy that a desirable activity is ‘working to promote responsible media reporting’ of Veterans, as well as to ‘encourage safe media reporting of suicide’.

To this end, the Centre of Excellence on PTSD and Related Mental Health Conditions recently commissioned a two-year research project aiming to assess the tone and content of media coverage of Veterans in Canada, led by Dr. Rob Whitley at McGill University. This involves examining overall patterns of reporting, as well as a comparative analysis investigating differences in coverage according to factors including age, gender, and theatre of operation. The project team includes Veterans, Veterans’ family members, journalists and researchers working together collaboratively.

The ultimate aim of this research is to produce educational material to help journalists report about Veterans in a holistic and responsible manner, moving beyond any stereotypes to chronicle the diversity of Veterans’ experiences. Indeed, we aim to share the study results and educational material with journalism schools, newsrooms, and media outlets across Canada.

We all have a role to play in promoting the mental health and social integration of our Veterans. This includes journalists and the media, a vital part of civil society that can help foster a culture of inclusion, appreciation and understanding of Veterans. This can counter Hollywood-inspired stereotypes that foster fear and suspicion of Veterans.

This can ultimately improve Veterans’ mental health, and ensure the country is truly fit for heroes. Lest we forget.

Rob Whitley is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University and a Research Scientist at the Douglas Research Centre. Robert.whitley@mcgill.ca 514-761-6131

Brian McKenna is a retired Warrant Officer who is the Veterans Advisor to the Centre of Excellence on PTSD and Related Mental Health Conditions. Brian.McKenna@theroyal.ca 778-592-4888

OTTAWA, ON – The Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Related Mental Health Conditions, in collaboration with the Douglas Hospital Research Centre, has launched a new study of how suicide and mental health are portrayed in the media, with a focus on Canadian Veterans.

LONDON, ON – Lawson Health Research Institute and the Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are partnering with a population at high risk of mental illness – Canadian Veterans and spouses of Canadian Veterans – to study how they have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through online surveys, the project will hear directly from Veterans and their spouses to assess the pandemic’s effects on their wellbeing over time. The team hopes results can be used by health care workers and policymakers to support Veterans and their families during both the current pandemic and future public health emergencies.