Soldiers may fake stress: witness
Military PTSD victims eligible for benefits, suicide inquiry told
OTTAWA – Some serving soldiers research post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms on the Internet to fake or exaggerate their own symptoms at medical appointments, a former military psychiatrist told a federal inquiry Wednesday.
The aim, said Edmonton doctor Leo Elwell, is to get cash benefits from Veterans A airs Canada.
“Not everyone in the military gets traumatized,” said the psychiatrist, “and not everyone who gets traumatized gets PTSD.”
Elwell, now a civilian doctor, became tearful several times while testifying at the Military Police Complaints Commission hearing into the March 15, 2008, suicide of Cpl. Stuart Langridge who had served in both Bosnia and Afghanistan.
Langridge’s mother and stepfather, Sheila and Shaun Fynes, allege three military police investigations into their son’s death were biased and engineered to protect the military.
They say Langridge was a genuine PTSD su erer.
Elwell said he saw no evidence of PTSD but Langridge had drug and alcohol addictions that predated his foreign missions and was suffering from “generalized anxiety order.
“PTSD was in the air because of what a lot of these guys went through,” he said. “But everybody likes VAC (Veterans Affairs Canada) benefits, so (we) get a little suspicious. Is there a game afoot?”
The troubled corporal asked constantly for a medical discharge from the military — a discharge that ensures benefits that a regular request to leave the service does not.
Langridge had a history of erratic behaviour, said Elwell. “It was part of his illness.”
After Langridge killed himself, Elwell said he was approached by several of the soldier’s friends, who told him that while Langridge’s drug use had increased after his Afghanistan tour, he was drinking and taking drugs before he went.
“They knew him,” said Elwell. “They often know each other better than they know their spouses. I asked them ‘Did I miss something?’ ”
Elwell became emotional and sobbed as he spoke about his experiences treating soldiers a icted with PTSD.
“I have seen too much for a lifetime,” he said. “I’m glad I’m out of it. It’s awful. I have treated hundreds of people. Unfortunately it’s the business we’re in. We get to hear about a lot of nasty stu . I’ve done lots. I’ve done enough.”
Answering federal government lawyer Elizabeth Richards, Elwell said the military was “open” to treating PTSD.
“We had a very steep learning curve coming out of Rwanda and Somalia,” he said, “and the first couple of tours into former Yugoslavia. After that, what we were doing was cuttingedge kind of stuff. We were trying to follow all the best practices.”
The inquiry heard Tuesday that Langridge spent 30 days under psychiatric care at Edmonton’s Alberta Hospital before being ordered back to CFB Edmonton for treatment.
Langridge’s parents claim the treatment he received at the base, and restrictions he was placed under, were too much too soon for a person in his fragile state.
While he was in treatment, Langridge often left the hospital to meet his dealer and was once caught smoking dope in his hospital ward.
Once back at the base, Langridge was placed under the direct supervision of the regimental sergeant major, who in turn was under instructions to make Langridge work a full daily shift in uniform, report regularly to the base commander and sleep in closely supervised accommodation.
CFB Edmonton medics decided to bring Langridge back to his base because he was still using street drugs while he was in hospital, the inquiry heard.