Roméo Dallaire Honoured for Mental Health Work

An outspoken leader on the atrocities he faced during the Rwandan genocide, retired Lieutenant General Roméo Dallaire is equally outspoken about mental illness.

Recently, he was honoured with the Harmony Award for his efforts in advocating better mental health services and sharing his own struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, which almost drove him to suicide. According to Dallaire, mental illness affects many Canadian soldiers. "Some of us have injuries that you cannot see." He says that of the thousands of troops returning home from Afghanistan, 3,000 will bear psychological injuries. Dallaire's best-selling book turned feature film, Shake Hands With the Devil - The Journey of Romeo Dallaire, is a vivid account of his experience as the Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Rwanda.

Categories : Health