Post-traumatic stress usage ‘out of hand’

DISORDER: Claim made that military charities exaggerate it to boost fundraising

Armed forces charities are overemphasising the issue of post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans to bolster fundraising efforts, it has been claimed.

Ed Parker, chief executive of Walking With The Wounded, said the manner in which PTSD was used was getting “out of hand”.

He told the Times that the condition was being exploited to increase donations because the falling number of physical injuries since the end of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan means charities can no longer rely on such images.

Mr Parker, who co-founded Walking With The Wounded, which is supported by Prince Harry, said charities regard PTSD with such “kudos” that it makes it attractive for some veterans to be diagnosed.

He told the newspaper he had met veterans who wanted to get a diagnosis of PTSD “because it sits alongside being an amputee”.

He said: “I think the PTSD label has become one that is very engaging. We have all got to raise money. We have all got to maintain a front to the public and as the conflict disappears into the past our ability to talk about the physical injuries actually declines.

“PTSD has become the headline of veteran mental health but actually it is a very small part of the problem.”

Mr Parker, himself a military veteran, said far more former servicemen and women suffer from alcohol problems, and from other mental health issues such as anxiety. And he suggested the focus on PTSD meant those with other mental health problems missed out on the correct treatments.

Military charities are forced to “slightly sensationalise” how they fund raise to make sure they can still run, he said, explaining: “We have got to be more interesting than Combat Stress, which has got to be more interesting than Help For Heroes because we are all fishing from the same pot.”

But he was worried the facts are “beginning to be lost”, saying: “It’s a problem that we (the charity sector) are making.”

Up to 6% of military personnel suffer from PTSD, the Times said, roughly similar with the civilian population.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a hugely depressing and debilitating illness for sufferers.

There are undoubtedly many people who struggle with the condition, yet some armed forces charities today stand accused of overemphasising the issue in a cynical bid to secure funding. It is a sad indictment. Sadder still, however, if such a situation detracts from efforts to assist genuine sufferers.

Soldiers on patrol.