PTSD: Soldiers keep it quiet because they see it as a weakness

Support plea for troops returning from combat
The Courier UK
By GRAEME BLETCHER
13 May 2013

Mr Wren added: “Soldiers keep it quiet because they see it as a weakness.”

Troops from Tayside and Fife who witness horrors in battle need better support on returning from combat, it has been claimed.

High profile cases involving Arbroath-based 45 Commando have thrust the issue of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) into the spotlight.

Ralph Hebden, 32, was found dead at the foot of cliffs near Arbroath on April 1, just two weeks before his comrade Wayne Harrison, 33, was sentenced to 15 months in prison at the town’s sheriff court for savagely assaulting his wife.

The MoD would not comment on the unconnected cases but said the mental health of their service personnel is a “top priority”.

Former soldier Ian Wren, 56, from Arbroath, who raises funds for injured troops charities, said there should be more rigorous assessment of returning servicemen.
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