Soldiers fighting for their land suffer less from PTSD – psychologist officer

Nowadays, almost every unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has a psychologist to whom one can turn for help, but this does not exclude problems both in the army and in society. Olena Brener, a psychologist and military officer, told this during a briefing at the Ukraine-Odesa Media Center.

“The military is also a part of society, a citizen like any other. The military should not be treated as a “foreign body” in society, so that it does not create even more problems. There is a long war going on, and our children need to know as much as possible about mental health and problems related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” the psychologist said.

Olena Brener said that on the front line, it is necessary to identify in advance when a person begins to behave inappropriately, so that there are no cases of suicide or accidents with the people around such a person.

The officer emphasized that Ukrainian soldiers are motivated by the factor of protecting their families, their children and the fight for freedom: “The important point is that we are on our own land. And this is the motivation that makes wonders. If we compare the experience of American soldiers who fought in Vietnam or Afghanistan, they did not have such motivation. Almost all Western studies and protocols are based on this experience, but our situation is different. Therefore, it supports our army and gives us hope for victory”.

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