A psychologist by training and daughter of a Dieppe Prisoner of War, Dr. Beal undertook and funded an influential study of the occurrence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among the many Canadians who were captured and interned by German forces following the Dieppe Raid on August 19, 1942. Dr. Beal's study formed the basis of a brief which was subsequently presented to the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. Her representations on this subject over a period of three years, most notably to the Senate Committee, led to the recognition of PTSD as a pensionable condition for the Dieppe Veterans who suffered trauma at the hands of the enemy. Through her determination, hard work and dedicated advocacy, Dr. Beal successfully brought this condition to the fore so that it could be recognized in February, 2000, as a pensionable condition under the Pension Act for not only Dieppe Veterans, but all Veterans.
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