The Defence and Police Officers Wives Association (DEPOWA) has revealed plans to care for military personnel with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental problems.
This was revealed by the DEPOWA President, Mrs Anwuli Irabor, during a press conference in Abuja on the DEPOWA-Proceed Armed Forces PTSD Centre.
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With the ongoing war against insurgency, Mrs Irabor said many military officers might suffer PTSD and many other forms of mental problems as a result of experiences from combat zones, hence the need to care for their mental health with the PTSD centre.
She said, “As wives of these officers, what we see and hear show that the experiences of a significant number of personnel cannot be quantified. They leave these combat zones with physical injuries and suppressed emotional trauma built from experiences in the field.
“These experiences going unchecked have led to damning consequences in our military community. Some of the major issues raised from the analysis of feedback from military wives across the country is the distinctive traits observed such as nightmares, anxiety, insomnia, bursts of anger, violence, depression, flashbacks, intrusion, suicidal tendencies and others.”
She commended the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Lucky Irabor, and the service chiefs for their unwavering support of the project, noting that other stakeholders drawn from the private sector would assist in seeing the success of the project.
