Time to fight the ‘mad, bad or sad’ stigma haunting our veterans
A former top military officer has called for an end to the stigma which sees veterans labelled as ‘mad, bad or sad’.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Chris Parker supports thousands of veterans across Sussex and the South East as chairman of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment Association.
The former soldier has spoken of his own battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), triggered 22 years after he faced life-ordeath decisions patrolling the streets of Northern Ireland.
But he warned PTSD was often ‘mislabelled’, and veterans needed help for a range of issues when they leave the close-knit Army community.
“It is not an epidemic,” he said in reference to PTSD.
“We don’t find it to be prevalent among all veterans but like blue-light services a lot of people can be in jobs where there is a higher risk of being affected later and we are all in that group.”
Lt Col Parker, born in Chichester, spoke to this newspaper as part of its investigative work into veteran suicides, a nationwide project first published in conjunction with other Jpimedia titles last year. Campaigners have called for better recording of veterans who go on to take their own life.
But while he welcomed the spotlight being shined on the struggles veterans faced, he argued the Government and military could address the issue quicker by funding veterans to train to become counsellors.
He said: “If we can fund a small organisation of military and ex-military men and women who are trained counsellors then we will manage a lot of the problems. They are perfect people for it.”
It was the most basic things of civilian life which often saw ex-servicemen and women come unstuck, he explained.
‘Adjustment reaction’ often led to symptoms similar to PTSD, he said, but could be triggered by struggles with everyday civilian tasks like paying bills – things military personnel did not have to deal with.
Admitting there was a problem, however, was particularly difficult for people who were trained in the military mould, he said.
“We have trained people to be elite and outstanding in self belief and worth and to go and ask them to ring someone who they have never met and talk about all their issues and that they are not coping, it is a huge leap, and the public have a huge problem understanding.”
If veterans did seek help, Lt Col Parker said he feared support services were not available quick enough.
“I tested it myself recently and asked one agency for some help,” he said.
“I was given a one-hour appointment in six weeks’ time. In that time someone may have self-harmed or worse, or decided to leave it.”
Organisations like the regimental association play a significant role in reaching out, plugging the gap between veterans and organisations like the NHS.
Lt Col Parker believed lives had been saved because servicemen had sought the regiment’s help.
He welcomed an invite by the Ministry of Defence to share his ideas on improving help for veterans. He argued they would feel more comfortable confiding in counsellor peers, who understood the unique situations they had faced. He added it would also help tackle a pressing problem of them finding employment outside the forces.
He also called on officials to launch a campaign, highlighting not all veterans were ‘mad, bad or sad’.
“They are proud and wonderful people who have served their country,” he said.
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