A Westville man is launching a support group for people with post-traumatic stress disorder so that trauma survivors have a safe place to talk without being judged.
Chris Stewart, who developed PTSD after a tractor-trailer fell over and injured him at work, is starting his in-person support group meetings in Pictou Tuesday after his Facebook group gained more than 1,400 members.
“I’ve had PTSD myself. There’s not really any place around here for anyone to talk and a lot of people are still scared to come out about it,” said Stewart.
He decided to start local support sessions after speaking with Pictou East MLA Tim Houston.
While sessions are currently running only in Pictou, Stewart hopes to host meetings in New Glasgow and Westville in future.
The idea is not to provide people hospital-type services but simply offer a place to talk about their trauma and be with people who understand.
His growing Facebook group, called ‘Chris Stewart’s Outreach Group For People Struggling with PTSD – Anxiety and Depression,’ has attracted people from as far away as Vietnam.
“I’ve heard a lot of sad stories but there’s definitely a need for something around here,” said Stewart.
But he also wanted to see more mental health services available for people with PTSD in Pictou County.
According to Stewart, anyone at risk of suicide will be kept in hospital under observation for 24 hours before they are sent home, with little if any follow-up care.
“Honestly, there’s nothing around here,” said Stewart.
While many people associate PTSD with military veterans and others who survive war, a wide range of harmful events can bring on the condition.
PTSD can be triggered by child abuse, sexual assault, terrorist attacks, natural disasters such as earthquakes or surviving road, workplace or other types of accidents, to name a few causes.
PTSD symptoms can include intrusive and upsetting memories of a traumatic event, nightmares, feelings of intense distress when reminded of the trauma and flashbacks, when a person feels like the event is happening again.
Many sufferers also feel physical symptoms such as a pounding heartbeat, rapid breathing, nausea, or muscle tension.
Medical professionals first started taking note of PTSD during the First World War, when soldiers were crippled by what was then called ‘shell shock.’
Many soldiers returned home displaying symptoms of PTSD after the war, often seen as cowards for being unable to fight anymore, or in some cases even to speak.
Soldiers displaying such symptoms were seen again in the Second World War and also later conflicts such as those in Vietnam, Bosnia and Afghanistan.
One hundred years after the First World War, more people are recognizing that PTSD can also affect civilians who have never been on a battlefield.
