Survivors of mental health crises related to military service say help is available and it’s crucial to seek it.
One survivor is David Blackburn, a retired major who served in the Canadian Army. He says it took many years to realize the impact his service had on him.
“I (was) released in 2011, medically for physical injuries,” said Blackburn. “Five years later, I had a mental breakdown, diagnosed (with) late onset PTSD, anxiety and depression.”
He says mental health injuries are just as real and terrible as physical ones.
“We call it disorder, like PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, but it’s an injury. What I’ve learned through my recent journey dealing with this injury is that it’s pain. Physical pain, psychological pain, it’s the same, it knows no difference.”
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His mental pain, which began before he ever left the military, had even impacted who he was as a person, causing his family to feel …