Veterans have to feel that they’re not alone

Hafal’s chief executive looks at mental health problems experienced by people who have been in the services

MANY people lead a great life in the services and look back at their career with pride and satisfaction.

They mainly lead happy lives when they leave for new work or retirement.

But, as in any organisation, some people who work or have worked in the armed forces or emergency services will experience mental health problems.

Sometimes these problems arise from the work; sometimes they will arise from other causes.

But the experience of mental health problems for people who have served in the services is often distinctive for two reasons.

First, some people may cope less well with experiences they have had in the course of their work in the services.

These days most of us are aware of how dangerous or very distressing events can affect people longer-term.

And for obvious reasons those who work in the services are more likely to have had such experiences.

There are also other, less obvious causes of problems for those who work in the services, such as long periods of intense and demanding work, or difficulty in dealing with day-to-day responsibility for saving lives.

The other problem for some people who have worked in these services can be the major changes in their life which they experience when they leave the services. The change can often mean moving home, losing contact with close comrades, and leaving behind the wide range of support provided by their employer.

This change can itself cause difficulty; it can also lead to difficulty in finding help for mental health problems, however they may have arisen.

A Wales-wide Summer 2017 campaign, called Forces for Change, aims to support veterans who find themselves affected by mental health problems but who may not be accessing the support they need.

The campaign is led by a group of women and men who have either served in the armed or emergency services or have family members who have served in those services.

It’s supported by a range of mental health, veterans and carers charities.

One of the key purposes of Forces for Change is to encourage veterans to reach out to their fellow veterans.

Many veterans have told us that they feel more comfortable talking to fellow veterans – that they share the same experience and “talk the same language”.

In the process we will provide veterans with information on pathways to recovery and the agencies which can support them, and listen to their experience and ideas about how to improve that support.

Another key aim is to reach out to the families of veterans – their spouses, partners and children.

They, too, can experience major changes when their family member leaves the forces: for example, they may have to move from forces accommodation and their support networks may disappear, and this adjustment can be a cause of difficulty and distress.

The Forces for Change campaign was launched earlier this summer by Minister for Social Services and Public Health Rebecca Evans, who has specific responsibility for Armed Forces and veterans’ health issues.

Frank Kitt, a former police officer with experience of anxiety and depression, and a member of the panel leading the campaign, told me: “A career in the armed and blue light services can be hugely rewarding, as well as providing vital support for the security, safety, and health of all of us. But some people will inevitably experience mental health problems.

“Forces for Change will help our fellow veterans to overcome these problems by saying to them: ‘It’s OK that you feel this way, and you are not alone – and there are many organisations and services who can help you.’

“Our intention is to link veterans to existing support and to help those who provide that support to work together to improve what they offer.”

“At the end of the campaign we will report back to policy makers, politicians, health professionals and others on the key mental health issues facing veterans and make recommendations for developing and improving services across Wales.

We want this campaign to have a long-lasting legacy so that veterans in future feel able to ask for help when they need it – and have better access to the right treatment and support services.