Supporting Those With Invisible Wounds!

I don’t think anyone would disagree that we have a ‘duty of care’ when service personnel come home from war or active service disabled, maimed and/or with mental trauma. The larger service charities do a fantastic job in supporting those with physical injuries; the provision sadly becomes less comprehensive for those that are left with the ‘invisible wounds of war’ such as operational combat stress, traumatic brain injury, moral injury, military sexual trauma, survivor guilt ,compassion fatigue and adjustment disorders.

Mental trauma as a result of service life is on the rise and the spate of suicides amongst former service personnel in the US and the UK is an indication that the access to specialist ‘wrap around’ support is not as comprehensive as it should be. This is not just an issue of veterans gaining access to specialist mental health support when it is needed, but also about supporting our veteran’s transition back to the civilian community and assisting in what can be a very difficult assimilation process.

This process can take decades, as veteran issues are complex and at times compounded by socio-economic and psycho-social factors that can exacerbate general and complex mental health issues and negatively impact on future life chances if not managed in a ‘holistic’ and coordinated way. It is not just the responsibility of the MOD/ NHS or service charity sector to ‘pick up the tab’ when our soldiers return home, we all have a moral and collective responsibility to welcome former military back into the communities in which they choose to live. Far too often we meet veterans who self isolate, are lonely and choose to live an insular, solitary existence. Many have been wrongly diagnosed, prescribed the wrong medication, traumatised in many different ways and left to suffer in silence .

Its a sad fact that a significant number become dependent on prescribed and/or illicit drugs including alcohol and eventually end up ‘self medicating’ in the absence of veteran specific psychological services or support. A growing number of veterans are becoming involved with the Criminal justice System, yet it is debatable if poor decision making can be directly attributed to service life.

The above notwithstanding, we should not have to wait until the soldiers and veterans of this country commit suicide to indicate something is fundamentally wrong with the system of support made available to them. In many ways politicians do not understand the issues.... simply because the ‘grass roots’ veteran population does not have a voice and MP’s traditionally seek the opinions of the larger service charities. Most of whom, are far from the beating pulse of real life and lived experience. Sadly MP’s only get to hear what the stakeholders think they want to hear. I am of the view that the Defence Committee should consult with the plethora of grassroots organisations that support veterans if it is serious about creating a country that is is best place in the world to be a veteran. The bar has been set … so its time to jump over it!

Tony Wright CEO