Better Off Dead
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Fred Doucette always wanted to be a soldier. In the 1960s he joined the Canadian Armed Forces and served in Cyprus in the 1970s and ’80s and Bosnia in the 1990s. When he returned home to New Brunswick in 1999 after his last overseas tour, he was diagnosed with severe chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. Eventually released from the army, Fred found a position with the Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) program, where he supported serving soldiers and veterans for ten years.
Better Off Dead chronicles Fred’s efforts in helping to rehabilitate and support soldiers and veterans suffering from what the military terms “operational stress injuries.” We meet Ted, saved from a suicide attempt by a timely phone call; Bob, at wit’s end and reluctantly seeking help to overcome severe PTSD; Roger, caught in a cycle of violence and drug and alcohol abuse; and Jane, diagnosed with PTSD after having been sexually assaulted while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. These accounts are raw, desperate, and often angry, but as Doucette shows, there is hope and real progress for those able to obtain proper diagnosis and treatment. Includes a colour insert with 15 photos.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Doucette (Empty Casing) understands post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He lived with the trauma of his military service even after he returned home, enduring panic attacks and nightmares and avoiding social contact. After finally seeking help, he embarked on a journey toward healing himself and later, helping others to heal. In this book, Doucette explains the real-life, human toll PTSD takes on soldiers and their friends and family, giving an insider's look at the wrenching pain they suffer until they are sometimes left feeling they'd be better off dead. In addition to his own experiences, Doucette relates other veterans' stories, sometimes in their own words and sometimes paraphrased. Each tale is a maelstrom of pain, honesty, trauma, and heroism, written frankly and with blunt language. Doucette discusses the recent history of the Canadian forces to help readers understand the causes of PTSD. This is an up-close and unsettling look at the horrors that come in both war and peace, from the streets of Sarajevo to an airplane crash site off the coast of Nova Scotia. Doucette places a spotlight on those who quietly serve their country, portraying them as both brave and vulnerable.
