UK Military:Echo Health - Battle for the Mind

Echo Health - Battle for the Mind
Posted on: Friday, 20 June 2008, 09:00 CDT

By Barry Nelson

Not enough is being done to help psychologically-scarred ex- servicemen after they are discharged. A week before the UK celebrates Veterans' Day, Health Editor Barry Nelson looks at a pilot scheme which aims to help former soldiers, seaman and airmen recover

IMAGINE witnessing an horrific car crash, particularly one in which a close family member was killed or seriously injured. Many people exposed to such a traumatic experience will make a full recovery, but some will bear the psychological scars for years or even decades afterwards. A number may be so disturbed by what they have seen that they may need professional treatment from a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Seeing someone you love die in a road accident is bad enough, but cannot be compared to the cumulative experiences of British soldiers returning from places like Iraq and Afghanistan after spending months in the firing line. With large numbers of British servicemen and women deployed in troublespots around the world, the number of ex-soldiers who are being discharged with significant mental health problems as a result of being exposed to nerve-jangling combat, sniping and kerbside bombs is growing.

And it is not just recent conflicts, Combat Stress, the charity which supports veterans who have been badly affected by their experiences, say they still work with many who were involved in the 30year-old undeclared war with the IRA in Northern Ireland. They are also still seeing new referrals from soldiers, sailors and airmen who fought in the Falklands War, which ended 26 years ago.

The scale of the problem is clear from the figures. In 2000, Combat Stress was contacted by around 300 veterans needing help, advice and support. Last year it was 1,200 and the charity expects this figure to continue to grow.

A major difficulty is that many of the veterans who have the most severe mental health problems as a result of what they have seen are poorly served by existing NHS services.
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