WAR NEUROSIS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 264, 6 August 1942, Page 4

WAR NEUROSIS

Relatively Few Soldiers Mentally Afflicted TREATMENT METHODS “Well-meaning citizens have been inclined to refer -to the ‘hundreds of mentally afflicted men returning from the present war,’ and in doing so, have, unfortunately, been the reverse of helpful to those men who come under the heading of psychoneurotic patients,” says the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association in a statement. "The welfare of the mentally sick serviceman has always received every consideration by the N.Z.R.S.A., and in furtherance of Its interest the Direc-tor-General of Mental Hospitals, Dr. T. Gray, himself an ex-serviceman, attended it recent meeting of the Dominion executive committee and discussed the present position. "The committee was pleased to learn that to June 30, 1942, only 47 servicemen from overseas had been admitted to mental institutions in the Dominion, and of this number 21 had already been discharged,- while three were out on .probation. •‘ln response to questions Dr. Gray expressed his opinion in opposition to uny proposal to establish a separate institution for the treatment of ex-ser-vicemen suffering from war neurosis, and gave reasons why such a proposal would not be in the best interest of the men themselves.

“The association is communicating with the British Empire Service League, Loudon, with a view to securing the fullest information from the constituent members of the league regarding the latest methods of treatment of ex-servicemen suffering mental disabilities and war neurosis.”