Australian military vets take help from dogs to overcome PTSD

New Delhi: Amid a growing push for alternative therapies to treat conditions like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ex-armymen in Australia are taking help from dogs to fight the condition.

Highly-trained dogs in Australia are helping ex-armymen overcome the mental scars of war and fight PTSD easily.

Nicknamed 'pills with four legs', these dogs are making them smile, be happy and most importantly reduce the dependency on medication which is fantastic.

Most of the military veterans are resorting to this therapy day by day, which they consider 'natural' and without any side-effects.

These canine guardians are also helping the military people fight anxiety and aggression which they have to deal with every day.

Australia's servicemen and women have in recent times been posted to danger zones in Iraq, East Timor, and Afghanistan -- the nation's longest-running military conflict. With some undertaking multiple tours of duty, psychologists are concerned traditional treatment such as counselling does not sufficiently address the trauma of combat.

With higher suicide rates among soldiers in Australia, more and more people are taking up this new technique of treatment.