#ADF staff scarred by #OperationSovereignBorders #asylum trauma THE AUSTRALIAN NOVEMBER 22, 2014 12:00AM Sean Parnell Health Editor Brisbane ONE in three Australian #Defence Force members involved in Operation Sovereign Borders have reported “human degradation and misery on a large scale” in the previous year. And more than half of those giving witness reports say they’ve been exposed to at least five such incidents, dramatically increasing their risk of serious mental illness. Documents obtained from the Defence Joint Health Command under Freedom of Information laws give a rare insight into the federal government’s mission to stop people-smugglers, which has been shrouded by secrecy despite repeated claims of success. A mental health surveillance report, dated September this year and covering June 2011-July 2014, reveals “no significant difference between post-traumatic stress and psychological distress symptoms reported” by navy personnel deployed to Afghanistan and those patrolling Australia’s maritime borders. But the servicemen and women at the border reported higher rates of exposure to potentially traumatic events, with levels of psychological distress rising the longer they were deployed. In the first six months of this year, 33.6 per cent of personnel deployed as part of Operation Resolute — the defence commitment to Operation Sovereign Borders — reported seeing large-scale human degradation and misery in the previous year. The interim result for 2014 was lower than the full 2013-year result (46.2 per cent) but well above the rate out of Afghanistan (5.3 per cent). “(This) includes witness to human degradation and misery including overcrowded and dangerous boats and desperate people,’’ the report says. Some 14.3 per cent of Operation Resolute members reported handling bodies or human remains in the previous year, and 28.9 per cent believed they were in danger of being injured themselves. Of those personnel reporting exposure to human degradation and misery, 36.2 per cent had seen potentially traumatic event 10 or more times, 20.6 per cent five to nine times, and 31.2 per cent two to four times. The length of deployment was found to increase health risks, along whether or not there had been a potentially traumatic event: 14.4 per cent of those reporting at least one such event were separately classified as being in psychological distress, while 8.2 per cent had post-traumatic stress symptoms and 15.5 per cent risky drinking behaviour. In the three years to last July, 5.6 per cent of all Operation Resolute members given a mental health screen by a psychologist were referred for a follow-up mental health assessment and support. A previous report on the mental health surveillance of members noted that one traumatic incident, such as the recovery of a single body, could affect the entire crew of a vessel, so the flow-on effect of multiple incidents across multiple deployments was significant. A Defence spokesman was yesterday unable to detail the average number of deployments, or ranges, for members involved with Operation Resolute. The Weekend Australian on Thursday also asked Defence whether additional steps were being taken to protect members, however a response had not been provided by yesterday. #LNP #LNPscum #LNPfilth #AsylumSeekers #refugees #AUSPOL #morrison #manus #Nauru
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 08:48:08 +0000
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