Donald Trump appears to suggest war veterans suffering from PTSD are not as strong as others when they return home
The US presidential candidate has once again attracted controversy over his comments made during a Q&A with war veterans
DONALD TRUMP has suggested those who return from war suffering post-traumatic stress disorder are not as "strong" as others.
The controversial US presidential candidate's comments came after he was asked about the high rate of veteran suicides and what he would do about it if successful in his bid to become president.
Speaking during a Q&A with veterans on Monday in Virginia, Trump vowed to do more to support those suffering from mental illness when they returned - but his following comments were met with silence.
He said: "When people come back from war and combat and they see maybe what the people in this room have seen many times over, and you’re strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can’t handle it.
"They see horror stories, they see events that you couldn’t see in a movie, nobody would believe it."
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He said the issue was one that he believed was not addressed enough, saying that there were around 22 veteran suicides a day.
Trump said: "Now we need a mental health help and medical, and it’s one of the things I think is least addressed and it’s one of the things I hear … most about when I go around and talk to veterans."
David Maulsby, the executive director of the Texas-based PTSD Foundation of America, told The Associated Press that he had at first hoped Trump's remarks had been taken out of context.
But after watching a recording of the exchange, he said the Republican nominee's words were detrimental to veterans struggling with PTSD symptoms.
He said: "At the very least, it's a very poor choice of words. PTSD is basically a rewiring of the brain as the result of trauma or prolonged trauma. That is not a reflection of a person's strength, character, stamina — any of that.
"Our veterans who are struggling with post-traumatic stress as a result of their combat need to be encouraged to seek help, and not be told they are weak or deficient in character in any way, shape or form."
Trump has also faced a backlash on social media, with many saying Trump was perpetuating the myth that PTSD victims were somehow to blame for their condition.
Joe Biden has since commented on Trump's remarks, saying: "I don't think he was trying to be mean.
"He is just so thoroughly, completely uninformed. We only have one sacred obligation, to care for those we send to war and to care for them and their families when they come home."
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