Stress disorder cases tripled in last 15 years

THE number of patients discharged from Scottish hospitals with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has more than tripled in the last 15 years.

Psychiatrist Neil Greenberg, the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ lead on military and veterans’ mental health, said the new figures were “the tip of the iceberg” and called for GPs to intervene with support for abuse victims and people involved in car crashes or assaults to ensure they do not develop PTSD.

Although most people can be treated in the community, the numbers of the most seriously affected have been increasing, with 92 people diagnosed in 1999 compared to 323 last year.

Miles Briggs, mental health spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives, said: “It is clear that health services will need to continue to adapt to provide the appropriate support, especially in relation to counselling, for what appears to be a clear trend showing an increasing number of people with PTSD.”

The figures come as experts call for a more proactive approach in dealing with the condition.

Professor Greenberg, said: “These cases are going to be the tip of the iceberg because most cases don’t go to hospital and are treated in the community.

“We need to be reaching out and asking people about their psychological health.

“PTSD is very treatable early on but if they wait seven years for treatment they may have lost their partner, their job, or their kids, and that’s when things are difficult.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “In recent years we’ve seen an increase in the number of people using mental health services.

“If that means more people are prepared to ask for help, that should be welcomed.”

Royal Navy veteran Malcolm Wilson, 51, from Arbroath, who served in the Falklands, recently launched a charity, Fishing For veterans, inviting former servicemen to deal with the turmoil of war by taking them fishing.