Original post by ttrembl on September 27, 2019
According to Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) as of March 2018 there were over 600,000 veterans in Canada and that population includes Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and RCMP members. Of that population, over VAC currently serves 18% of the total veteran population through its programs and services to veterans and their survivors. Additionally, it is estimated that 10% of the veteran population will experience a chronic mental health condition known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD as it is commonly referred to.
In my family, my father served as a former peacekeeper, my brother-in-law was killed in Afghanistan, and I served in the RCMP as a police officer and an officer in the CAF. My father suffered from PTSD or shell shock as it was referred to as following World War I and II, and I personally suffer from PTSD from my service as well.
In response to growing need for services for Canada’s veterans particularly those suffering with mental health illnesses, VAC developed an app called PTSD Coach. The app is available on both iOS and Android for free and the app does not collect personal information on its users so there are no privacy concerns noted.
PTSD Coach is designed to help veterans learn about and manage their symptoms following a traumatic experience. Within the app, there are several menus that offer provide reliable and current information on available treatment, tools to track and screen symptoms, tools to manage stress, and information on crisis support. I personally have the app on my phone and use the tools to help manage my symptoms as they rate the level of each symptom you are experiencing and provide aids to manage to those symptoms. I found the app to be not only educational but an aid in managing my own life when something suddenly triggers a symptom.
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for sharing your personal experience with us. It is sad that not enough is done for these men who fought and defended their country. I’m not expert on the matter and wouldn’t claim that I can understand what these soldiers went through. But here are my thoughts about the application. This application eliminates the need to set up an appointment with a doctor/ psychologist. It is also a good way for them to get quick answers and responses. No one knows when they can be triggered so having this app on their phone must bring a lot of relief to them knowing that assistance can be obtained anytime anywhere.
What a marvelous idea. PTSD Coach Canada is an app that I wish I knew about years ago. Since I started my career as an academic advisor at UBC I have worked with three students that have suffered from PTSD as a result of combat. Only one of the students was receiving help from a counselor trained in working with subjects suffering from PTSD. One of the other students, a survivor of genocide, refused to seek professional help because he hated having to wait while his symptoms flared. I recommend anyone working in adult education do their own review of this app. In my research I found out that in the USA this app is part of a suite of apps called VA Mobile covering everything from repatriation to benefits to social networking (https://mobile.va.gov/appstore/all). I especially liked how users were encouraged to provide feedback and recommendations on how to improves the apps and services.