Army’s support ‘centres on alcohol’ not therapy

ACORONER has criticised the British Army, saying the recovery of traumatised soldiers following combat seems to “centre around” drinking rather than therapy sessions.

Samantha Marsh made the comments following the inquest into the death of a veteran, who had served in Afghanistan, suffering from post traumatic stress who died following an accidental overdose.

The Acting Senior Coroner for Somerset said: “The debrief or recovery process in itself appeared to centre more around the consumption of alcohol rather than the encouragement to talk about any distressing or harrowing experiences of active combat and service.

“I remain concerned that the culture/stigma does not lend itself to those suffering taking the first step and effectively raising their hands and asking for help.”

In a Prevention of Future Deaths Report sent to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, Mrs Marsh outlined the lack of military mental health support and ordered them to make changes or risk future deaths.

She made the comments following the inquest of Neil McDougall, 43, who was found dead from an accidental overdose at home after years of mental health problems following active military service.

Mr McDougall suffered from PTSD, depression and alcohol dependency, but inadequate support after 11 years in the forces – including a tour of Afghanistan – caused him to descend into a recurrent cycle of “crisis to crisis”.

Four years before he left the Army in 2018, his partner described his recurrent and persistent nightmares and hallucinations following his tour.

Mr McDougall was first seen by military psychiatrists in 2009 and was again referred between December 2016 and his discharge in July 2018 with a week spent as an inpatient in 2017.

At the time of his discharge he was recorded as suffering from depression and alcohol dependency.

Despite his background, he was not diagnosed with PTSD until a month after his discharge.

He was offered group therapy but couldn’t join because he could not speak about what he had witnessed and needed intensive treatment first but he was found dead in February 2021 after accidentally overdosing on drugs.

Mrs Marsh said there seemed to be no opportunities following deployment to discuss experiences or trauma in one-to-one sessions, and mandatory “re-settlement” courses on returning home after discharge discuss CV-building instead of mental health.

She said she does not believe Mr McDougall was an exceptional case and emphasised her concern about how many military personnel kill themselves.

She said: “I was told that it is entirely possible to ‘walk out of the door’ without any mental health assessment whatsoever, with the Army appearing to rely on the availability of services provided within the community and/or by charitable organisations that the Army can either signpost the leaver to or they can access for themselves once a civilian.”

She added: “There is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken.

“I am concerned by the level of suicides amongst ex-military personnel and I do not believe that Neil was an exceptional case.

“He is representative of the rising figures and statistics; ex-military (predominantly men) who suffer from poor mental health as a result of active service.

“I was told that the de-brief for serving personnel after returning from a tour is undertaken as part of a group. There appeared to be some limitations to this process.

“I was told that there are no oneto-one sessions in which personnel can openly talk about their experiences and trauma, which is something that they may be reluctant to do in an open setting for fear of going against the grain or culture of being physically and mentally resilient.

“I believe that action should be taken to ensure that there is an effective and comprehensive assessment of the mental health and/or wellbeing of those leaving the Army.

“I can see no justification for some elements of re-settlement/re-integration being mandatory whilst others remain purely optional.

“I believe that there should be some assessment and coordination of the discharge process to ensure that those leaving service are assessed, with appropriate intervention(s) identified rather than simply being allowed to leave and rely on help being available somewhere/somehow in the community.”

Mr McDougall had a long history of mental health problems after serving in the Army, leading him to use alcohol to cope.

His drinking exacerbated and masked his underlying mental illness, the inquest heard.

He could be impulsive, particularly when drunk, and had a history of stockpiling medications, some of which were sourced illegally.

In the Report to Prevent Future Deaths the Coroner ordered the MoD and Secretary of State for Defence to provide details of the action taken or proposed to be taken, including a timetable for action, to fix the major issues she found.

I am concerned by the level of suicides amongst ex-military personnel

SAMANTHA MARSH