Soldier suicide highlights need for veteran support

 

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Lance-Corporal took her own life

The death by suicide of former soldier Chanice Ward has led to calls from her grieving family for greater emotional support and mental health facilities for veterans leaving the armed forces.

Lance-Corporal Ward of the Royal Army Medical Corps was 29 when she took her own life. The Independent reports that her decision followed years of depression and nightmares, both symptoms of the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) she suffered after serving in Balkans conflict when she was a teenager.

According to the publication, Ms Ward witnessed many atrocities while on two back-to-back tours of duty in Bosnia, including bomb blast casualties and injured children.

Despite her service to her country, her family claim she was unceremoniously discharged by the Army in 2002 as the extent of her depression became clear. Her father Ivor told the Evening News: "She should have had a medical discharge, but was told that she was no longer required, which is a disgraceful way to be discharged."

Ms Ward decided to die by suicide despite having re-established herself in a successful career with Norwich Union, where she had many friends among her co-workers, according to the newspaper.

In an interview with the Evening News two months prior to her death, Ms Ward said she was unhappy with her treatment by the Army. She stated: "I know the Army has finally admitted that there is such a thing as PTSD, but I'm slightly bitter that they did not help me."

 

Support for veterans

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) defence ministry told the Independent: "We have made great progress [...] in the treatment of mental health problems.

"Treatment for mental health disorders, including post-traumatic stress, is also available for veterans through six community-based mental health pilot schemes the MoD has created."

However, despite this assurance, Marc Bishop, who leads an organisation called PTSDhelp.co.uk told the Evening News: "Increasingly we are finding the services and government derelict in their duty of care to these men and women who have sacrificed so much."

His claims appear to be backed by a recent investigation by the BBC, which found that the MoD does not monitor veterans that have left the armed forces and also does not keep track of the numbers who later seek mental health support.

The news agency further found that NHS staff do not routinely enquire whether patients have served in the Army, although veterans' minister Kevan Jones told the BBC that he was examining the possibility of tracking veterans through an NHS-based system in the future.

"I've initiated and am in discussions with the Department of Health […] and I'm hoping to make an announcement later this year," he said.

Head of the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, believes support is key in the recovery of shell-shocked veterans, and that responsibility lies with the UK government to see that ex-servicemen are properly supported.

He tells the BBC: "I believe the Ministry of Defence, and the Veterans Agency in particular, has got to build up a department that actually follows people that have been mentally or physically hurt for the rest of their lives and looks after them."

 

Statistics set to increase

Promises of mental health support for veterans cannot come quickly enough, according to Andrew Drake from the Royal British Legion in the North East, who tells the BBC the issue is a "ticking time bomb" given the number of servicemen currently on active duty.

He states: "The number of people needing help is likely to increase because there's intense fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and symptoms can take years to develop.

"Many doctors aren't aware of military culture and don't recognise the unique circumstances of serviceman and woman, and that means that sometimes they don't get the understanding or specialist care they need."

Robert Marsh of veterans' mental health charity Combat Stress agrees with this sentiment, but warns that greater funding is needed if former soldiers are to be properly supported.

He tells the BBC: "Going forward, the demand on our services is going to be ever-increasing and there is going to be a funding challenge and perhaps we need to question where we are getting our money from."

 

Veteran suicide rates

There are few statistics available regarding incidences of suicide among veterans, according to CBS. However, an October 2007 study conducted by the University of Michigan Health System, published in the American Journal of Public Health, concluded that suicide rates among former soldiers are alarmingly high, Medical News Today reports.

The study examined data from 807,694 veterans of a variety of ages. All those included in the analysis had been previously diagnosed with depression and treated at a Veterans Affairs facility in the US between 1999 and 2004.

Of those veterans participating in the study, 1,683 later elected to die by suicide, a statistic representing 0.21 per cent of the total.

Groups considered at a high-risk of suicide among depressed veterans include young white males, veterans with substance abuse problems and people hospitalised up to one year prior to their depression diagnosis.

Ex-servicemen and soldiers experiencing mental health difficulties as a result of their time in the armed forces can contact the Veterans Helpline free on 0800 169 2277, or visit the organisation's website at http://www.veterans-uk.info/.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress, you can call Samaritans for support 24 hours on 08457 90 90 90 (UK) and 1850 60 90 90 (ROI), or email at jo@samaritans.org, or face to face – visit http://www.samaritans.org/ for your nearest branch.

 

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