Very Senior RAN officer commits professional suicide on TV

[sisemen]

Lateline, an Australian equivalent to Newsnight, did a piece on ANZAC day this evening and the invited guest was Rear Admiral Robyn Walker.

This was always going to be a nice touchy-feely item bigging up the troops and the job that they do. Tony Jones, the interviewer, started off benignly by asking her how she felt about the tradition of ANZAC being slanted towards men. Her reply? "Well I'd be very pleased to answer that but first I'd like to respond to the story last night....." which was all about prescribing anti-psychotic drugs to those suffering from PTSD.

With every passing minute Walker dug herself further and further into the mire and Tony Jones wouldn't let it go. In the end the whole item was a black mark against the defence forces hierarchy and took up the whole item.

Did nobody ever think to put this blonde bimbo through a media relations course? FFS it's Media 101. Talk about promotion beyond her competence. But, to be fair, I hope she does alright in the Lieutenant promotion board - and even that might be a step too far.

One would hope, nay, expect, that tomorrow morning she will have a one-on-one interview, hat, no coffee - providing they can find someone senior enough.

Lateline - 25/04/2013: Robyn Walker defends use of drugs (http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2013/s3745546.htm)

Edit: The transcript is now up on the site. Here's the opening bars to the symphony of stupidity:

TONY JONES, PRESENTER: Joining us now from our Melbourne studio is the highest ranked woman in uniform in the Australian Defence Force, Rear Admiral Robyn Walker. She's also Commander Joint Health and the ADF Surgeon General.

Rear Admiral, thanks for joining us.

ROBYN WALKER, COMMANDER JOINT HEALTH & SURGEON-GENERAL, ADF: Thankyou, Tony.

TONY JONES: Now, these main ANZAC myths and legends are all about men at war really. I mean, what did you think about all this when you were growing up as a young girl and a young woman?

ROBYN WALKER: Ah, well, Tony, I'll be very pleased to answer that, but I'd first really like to respond to the story last night which you ...

TONY JONES: Sure.

ROBYN WALKER: ... indicated that the ADF may not be treating our men and women with PTSD appropriately. And I'd like to correct that fact. We do follow the National Health Medical Research Council guidelines on the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, we do use the appropriate psychological counselling and we do use drug treatment, not as a first line, and the drugs that you mentioned last night are a second-line treatment for cases that are not responding. And I'd like to just confirm that we do have responsible prescription of those drugs, we do monitor their use and I would suggest that the suggestion that there is an uncontrolled or an out-of-control prescribing of these drugs is not accurate.

TONY JONES: Are you prepared for an independent review to test that because we were getting our information from some serving, some recently-departed servicemen, most of them working in Special Forces and others, so it's not as if the people have no credibility who are making these claims? etc etc

[The Helpful Stacker]

What a massive arse she made of herself.

There is a huge weight of evidence against the use of anti-psychotics for the treatment of PTSD. Unfortunately its often cheaper and easier to just apply the chemical cosh rather than provide comprehensive treatment programs utilising proven successful techniques such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which can be time consuming and, no doubt of more importance to someone of her ilk, expensive.

Sadly though such over-reliance of pharmaceutical treatments in relation to PTSD and other mental health issues is widespread. With the first port of call for both ex-service personnel and civilians being GPs and little access to specialist services beyond this point (and little drive to increase budgets in this area over 'traditional' areas of healthcare) the easy out is to reach for the prescription pad.

Luckily organisations such as Combat Stress continue to push for improvements in this area for ex-service personnel but unfortunately, as I've seen from dealing with such patients, funding and more specifically, understanding, is still lacking.

[500N]

Damn, I missed that. Will have to look at it on line.

I recognise the name Rear Admiral Robyn Walker,
I'm sure she has been in the media lately for another reason.
It might have been that she is the first female Admiral in the
Australian Navy.

[baffman]

As The Helpful Stacker has explained, there clearly is a serious issue about the use of anti-psychotic drugs in the treatment of patients suffering from PTSD.

That seems to me a far more important and serious debate than whether this senior officer had committed some terrible faux pas in media relations.

The same news programme had criticised her department's policy the previous night. Wouldn't it have been a bit pusillanimous not to acknowledge that at all, even on such an occasion as ANZAC Day?

At least she had the balls to defend her department's policy on a really important issue.

[parabellum]

Tony Jones, the interviewer, started off benignly by asking her how she felt
about the tradition of ANZAC being slanted towards men.


That question in itself is a political minefield these days! Doesn't Jones know that over 90% of the ANZAC troops at Gallipoli were male?

[500N]

Parabellum

That is exactly how it should have been answered as well,
a straight bat, down the wicket and let it be as though it is
a non issue.

[Captain Sand Dune]

Positive discrimination - it's all good.:E

[SASless]

Knowing a bit about PTSD and the American Veterans Administration's various treatment methods....and they don't half over medicate you....Drug Therapy in my view is not the most effective means of dealing with PTSD. Group Therapy which is the VA's favorite method really sucks!

The VA is all about numbers, stats, and writing glowing reports that pat themselves on the back....not about really providing effective therapy. One example....they insist upon treating the Veteran and not including the Spouse or Children of the Veteran in the Treatment sessions.

Spouses can be the very best source of help for someone who is afflicted with serious PTSD problems as they are most attuned to the situation owing to their living so closely with the individual with the problems.

I am not sure there is a "Cure" for PTSD....just mitigation of the symptoms and the mere use of drugs alone is not the right avenue to go down....it is the last in my view.

[Rosevidney1]

But SASless the chemical cosh is beloved by much of the medical profession as well as the entire pharmaceutical industry...........:E

[Captain Sand Dune]

However the precedent has been set. In 2006 Elizabeth Cosson left a CD containing a draft copy of her confidential report on circumstances surrounding the repatriation of the body of Jacob Kovco in a public computer in the Qantas Club lounge at Melbourne Airport. Parts of the report were subsequently broadcast by Derryn Hinch. However following a Defence Department inquiry she was promoted to Major-General.
The RADM is well on her way to another star.

[500N]

Captain Sand Dune

Yes, remember that incident well. A CF all round.

Seems they all have a bit of a hiccup at that level, such as Brigadier Lyn McDade and the charging soldiers affair. Wonder when she will get promoted.

[sisemen]

Not being a chauvinist or anything but there seem to be a fair few around that want to prove that the glass ceiling is there for a reason. :E

[500N]

siseman

Now that is not nice !!!

McDade is known for being "gung ho" and knowing law
but some very good critiques were written at the time
about applying law to war situations. Thankfully the
charges were dropped.