Definitely. For the new veterans, we have to have early intervention and do it right away. We have to recognize it, etc. Unfortunately--and this is an observation, not a criticism--the old veterans suffered a lot. I had a few who suffered, and that was terrible, but I think we're doing better with that. These types of committees are recognizing that; the public communication is helping.
We still find these horror cases who have suffered alone. These people have worked for our country. The thing is, as people say, the person resists going to see a doctor. He is military. What do you want? It's the type of question. This guy probably knows more than I do. The military has training--legal training, communication training. We don't know if he is undercover or not, so is he going to tell us the truth? It's an assessment, and you need a specialized person.
Of course, dealing with Veterans Affairs as a family physician--and I'm speaking for myself--is a little difficult. It's paperwork, paperwork; sometimes it's in Gatineau, sometimes it's in Ottawa, sometimes it's in Charlottetown. The thing they say to the guy is that he's missing something. It's always us, the poor family physicians, who did not complete the right form at the right comma. With my experience as a family physician, I try to help these guys. I said I'm a specialist in forms, so I should understand that, and I'm trying to get the communication.
The process is very complicated, to say the least.