Major-General John Cantwell has told a parliamentary inquiry the Defence Force needs to continue its efforts to de-stigmatise mental health problems if it is to deal with the growing number of veterans returning from operations with post traumatic stress disorder. Soldiers will not acknowledge they have PTSD until the ADF ''normalises'' mental health problems and treats them in the same way it does physical injuries.
He should know. From January 2010 to January 2011, he was the National Commander of Australian Defence Forces in Afghanistan. He's spoken and written openly and honestly about his own post-traumatic stress and depression.
