Surrey Veteran: "They're the first to offer help, but the last to ask for it"
Following new data from Help for Heroes, the founder of a veterans support group in Surrey told us about the difficulties veterans face when returning to civilian life
New data from Help for Heroes shows that nearly half of all medically discharged veterans felt they were unprepared for civilian life.
More than 40 per cent of veterans felt unprepared for life after service. Mental health is now one of the leading causes of medical discharge3 yet many veterans leave service without a formal diagnosis or treatment in place.
John Joyce founded the Veteran Support Association in Molesey, which offers drop in sessions for veterans and their families.
He says that due to the nature of the way the army operates, can lead to trauma and PTSD when leaving the service
"When you take someone into the military, you break them down to nothing, break what the mould is and create a soldier in the image of the regiment.
You can't train people once you've taken them from what they were, broken them down and created a Superman. You can't then untrain them.
And sadly you lose friends, that sense of loss never gets resolved It's always with you as a trauma. We end up with what's now called PTSD."
Joyce also said that many veterans feel abandoned and unsupported, facing bureaucratic hurdles, which exacerbates their struggles.
Joyce added that for a lot of these veterans, they don't come forward for help themselves. He tells me that that's why he opened the support group to families.
"That was a deliberate ploy because a lot of the time the veteran doesn't know he needs help. He or she, they're the first to offer help to anyone who needs it. They're the last to ask for it.
Sometimes the families get advance notice that someone's going off the rails."
Joyce says that there needs to be more personalised care for veterans.
Everyone's struggle, although it stems from the same cause, from the same issues, is going to be different. The solution isn't a one size fits all.