An ex-RCMP officer in Steinbach is setting up a support group for people who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. Lou Savard says years of dealing with tragedies, first as a military medic and later as an RCMP officer, took a big toll on him to the point where he contemplated suicide. He sought out help for PTSD in Winnipeg and is now helping others to cope with the disorder. Savard says there is enough need locally to set up a group.

Ex- RCMP officer Lou Savard, himself at PTSD sufferer, is starting a PTSD support group."I've met several people with PTSD in the community. A couple have been in touch with me so I finally was able to secure a location. So now it's time to move forward with setting up a group. Once it starts, once the word gets out after the first meeting, I think that our membership will climb."

But Savard expects it will be a slow process to build membership because people with PTSD usually don't want that information out in public.

"They stay in the house, they don't like crowds."

But Savard says the only way to deal with the disorder is through professional help and support groups. He notes there is a very high rate of suicide among people who suffer from PTSD and he wants to do whatever he can to prevent these deaths.

Savard says people who are in jobs with the military, police or other emergency services see horrible things and tend to suppress their feelings. But he adds, your mind hangs onto them and one day, the accumulation of memories becomes too much to handle and PTSD sets in.

"We, as front-line workers, tend to think of ourselves as superhuman. We don't have feelings or we tuck them away or we wouldn't be able to do this job. I refer to it as a bookshelf, your mind is like a bookshelf. Everything that's bad that comes in gets sorted by your subconscious and, the bad things happen to get placed on this old, rickety bookshelf and eventually something happens, it doesn't have to be much but you take it hard, and that's the bookshelf collapsing. People just tuck this stuff into the back of their mind. You know, you've been to a horrible car accident where fatalities might be involved, especially children, and you put it away or you wouldn't be able to do the job. Your next call may be the proverbial cat in the tree, so the highs and the lows all add up and, eventually, they will get you. After a diagnosis of PTSD, there's no cure, you have this for life."

Savard says the PTSD support group is not only for people who already have the disorder but also for those who are still actively involved in emergency services, to help them cope with some of the terrible things they see. He notes statistics show one in three women and one in five men in front-line services will develop PTSD. Savard says the support group is there free of charge. The first meeting will take place at the Steinbach Legion hall June 28th at 7 p.m. People can contact Savard at 204-392-2235.