Cidersomerset
14th July 2013, 09:03
Like in the US the veterans are left to wither.....
http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.48.3/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png
14 July 2013 Last updated at 08:15
UK soldier and veteran suicides 'outstrip Afghan deaths'Dan Collins After serving in
Afghanistan, L/Sgt Dan Collins was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder
More British soldiers and veterans took their own lives in 2012 than died fighting the
Taliban in Afghanistan over the same period.BBC Panorama learned that 21 serving
soldiers killed themselves last year, along with 29 veterans.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68702000/jpg/_68702120_dancollinsinarmyfatigues.jpg
The Afghanistan death toll was 44, of whom 40 died in action.
Some of the soldiers' families say the men did not get enough support. The Ministry of
Defence (MoD) said every suicide was a "tragedy". The Panorama programme obtained
the figure of 21 through a Freedom of Information request to the MoD. The MoD said
that rates of suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within the serving
military were lower than comparative rates in the civilian population.Seven serving
soldiers have been confirmed as having killed themselves last year, and inquests are
pending for a further 14 deaths where suicide is suspected. The British government,
unlike its American counterpart, does not record the suicide rate among ex-soldiers.
But Panorama has independently established that at least 29 veterans took their own
lives in 2012.It wrote to every coroner in the country to ask for the names of soldiers
and veterans who killed themselves last year and also analysed newspaper reports of
coroners' inquests.
'Hell on earth'
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68702000/jpg/_68702322_deanacollins.jpg
One serving soldier who killed himself was L/Sgt Dan Collins, who had fought in
Operation Panther's Claw in Helmand province, Afghanistan, in the summer of 2009.
Deana Collins Deana Collins, the mother of L/Sgt Collins, said her son was a "victim of
war" L/Sgt Collins, a Welsh Guardsman, twice survived being shot and was blown off his
feet by a roadside bomb.His friend, L/Cpl Dane Elson, was blown to pieces just yards
away from him.L/Sgt Collins's mother Deana had noticed a difference in her son during
his time in Afghanistan.
Continue reading the main story
Number of suicides, open verdicts and suspected suicides awaiting inquests among serving soldiers
2010 - 7
2011 - 15
2012 - 21
Source: Ministry of Defence
"The phone calls changed and I remember him telling me, 'Mum, this place is hell on
earth and I just want to get out of here'," she said.After a six-month tour, L/Sgt Collins
came home, returning to his girlfriend Vicky Roach's house.Miss Roach said: "Obviously
then I started noticing things. Nightmares were the main thing. It was pretty clear he
was back there reliving everything."
Return to duty
The Army diagnosed L/Sgt Collins with PTSD.
Dan Collins L/Sgt Dan Collins's name is not engraved on the wall at the National
Memorial Arboretum After 10 months of intermittent treatment, the Army told L/Sgt
Collins he had recovered and would soon be ready to return to duty.Over the next three
months, he twice tried to kill himself. He started missing his weekly NHS appointments
and told his girlfriend his flashbacks were getting worse.
"I wanted to help him but I didn't know what to do," said Miss Roach. "It takes a toll on
your relationship and I just asked him to leave." On New Year's Eve in 2011, L/Sgt
Collins left her house, put on his Army uniform, and drove into the Preseli mountains in
Pembrokeshire.He recorded a farewell video on his phone and then hanged himself. He
was 29. The inquest into his death is still to be held.
A 'natural response'
Clinical psychologist Dr Claudia Herbert said PTSD is the body's "natural response" to
distressing events.It can take years to emerge but is treatable if caught early.
Symptoms include flashbacks, severe anxiety and depression.He said: "I went into
camp one morning and I just broke down. So they took me to the doctor's and he said
you might have PTSD."An appointment was arranged but he missed it because he was
on paternity leaveWhen he left the Army in January 2011, he had not been formally
diagnosed with PTSD and then became chronically depressed.
"I'd feel suicidal every day," he said. "I probably didn't leave the house properly for about a year."
He applied for compensation from the Army but it was refused because he had never
been formally diagnosed with PTSD.He has been unable to work since so his partner
must support him and their three children.The MoD said 2.9% of serving soldiers
developed PTSD, which is lower than the general population.The number of soldiers with
PTSD has more than doubled in the past three years among those who served in
Afghanistan, according to MoD figures obtained via Panorama's FOI request.But Dr
Herbert said: "Post-traumatic stress disorder in itself should not lead to suicide."
"PTSD is a condition that indicates something has deeply disturbed the system and is a
warning that the system needs help and needs to regulate again."
Nobody can be sure how many of the 21 soldiers and 29 veterans who took their own
lives in 2012 were suffering from PTSD as the reasons for suicide are complex.
"The evidence suggests there's more of a problem than the government and the MoD
are admitting to," said Colonel Stuart Tootal, a former commander of 3 Para.
The former head of the British army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, wants the suicide
rate among veterans to be monitored."It's pretty clear to me that it should be
happening because once you have somestatistics you can start to do something about
it," he said.
'Victims of war'
The MoD said it was not prepared to talk about individual cases but has committed £7.4
m to ensure there is extensive mental health support in place for everyone who needs
it. It said 134,780 soldiers have been deployed to Afghanistan since 2001.
Continue reading the main story
Number of soldiers with initial diagnosis of PTSD who served in Afghanistan
2009 - 108
2010 - 180
2011 - 183
2012 - 231
Source: Ministry of Defence
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68702000/jpg/_68702125_dancollinsrelaxedwithoutshirt.jpg
The National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire honours the military casualties of
every conflict since WWII.The names of soldiers who killed themselves in
Afghanistan are engraved on the wall but those who took their own lives after
returning home are not mentioned.L/Sgt Collins was a serving soldier at the time of
his death on 1 January 2012 but his name will not be on the memorial."It's
heartbreaking because Daniel would have been so proud to have his name carved
somewhere," said Mrs Collins."Soldiers with PTSD are exactly the same. They're
victims of war and they should be treated exactly the same."You can watch a
Panorama special, Broken by Battle, on BBC One at 21:00 BST or Monday, 15 July
or catch up later on the iPlayer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23259865
http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.48.3/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png
14 July 2013 Last updated at 08:15
UK soldier and veteran suicides 'outstrip Afghan deaths'Dan Collins After serving in
Afghanistan, L/Sgt Dan Collins was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder
More British soldiers and veterans took their own lives in 2012 than died fighting the
Taliban in Afghanistan over the same period.BBC Panorama learned that 21 serving
soldiers killed themselves last year, along with 29 veterans.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68702000/jpg/_68702120_dancollinsinarmyfatigues.jpg
The Afghanistan death toll was 44, of whom 40 died in action.
Some of the soldiers' families say the men did not get enough support. The Ministry of
Defence (MoD) said every suicide was a "tragedy". The Panorama programme obtained
the figure of 21 through a Freedom of Information request to the MoD. The MoD said
that rates of suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within the serving
military were lower than comparative rates in the civilian population.Seven serving
soldiers have been confirmed as having killed themselves last year, and inquests are
pending for a further 14 deaths where suicide is suspected. The British government,
unlike its American counterpart, does not record the suicide rate among ex-soldiers.
But Panorama has independently established that at least 29 veterans took their own
lives in 2012.It wrote to every coroner in the country to ask for the names of soldiers
and veterans who killed themselves last year and also analysed newspaper reports of
coroners' inquests.
'Hell on earth'
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68702000/jpg/_68702322_deanacollins.jpg
One serving soldier who killed himself was L/Sgt Dan Collins, who had fought in
Operation Panther's Claw in Helmand province, Afghanistan, in the summer of 2009.
Deana Collins Deana Collins, the mother of L/Sgt Collins, said her son was a "victim of
war" L/Sgt Collins, a Welsh Guardsman, twice survived being shot and was blown off his
feet by a roadside bomb.His friend, L/Cpl Dane Elson, was blown to pieces just yards
away from him.L/Sgt Collins's mother Deana had noticed a difference in her son during
his time in Afghanistan.
Continue reading the main story
Number of suicides, open verdicts and suspected suicides awaiting inquests among serving soldiers
2010 - 7
2011 - 15
2012 - 21
Source: Ministry of Defence
"The phone calls changed and I remember him telling me, 'Mum, this place is hell on
earth and I just want to get out of here'," she said.After a six-month tour, L/Sgt Collins
came home, returning to his girlfriend Vicky Roach's house.Miss Roach said: "Obviously
then I started noticing things. Nightmares were the main thing. It was pretty clear he
was back there reliving everything."
Return to duty
The Army diagnosed L/Sgt Collins with PTSD.
Dan Collins L/Sgt Dan Collins's name is not engraved on the wall at the National
Memorial Arboretum After 10 months of intermittent treatment, the Army told L/Sgt
Collins he had recovered and would soon be ready to return to duty.Over the next three
months, he twice tried to kill himself. He started missing his weekly NHS appointments
and told his girlfriend his flashbacks were getting worse.
"I wanted to help him but I didn't know what to do," said Miss Roach. "It takes a toll on
your relationship and I just asked him to leave." On New Year's Eve in 2011, L/Sgt
Collins left her house, put on his Army uniform, and drove into the Preseli mountains in
Pembrokeshire.He recorded a farewell video on his phone and then hanged himself. He
was 29. The inquest into his death is still to be held.
A 'natural response'
Clinical psychologist Dr Claudia Herbert said PTSD is the body's "natural response" to
distressing events.It can take years to emerge but is treatable if caught early.
Symptoms include flashbacks, severe anxiety and depression.He said: "I went into
camp one morning and I just broke down. So they took me to the doctor's and he said
you might have PTSD."An appointment was arranged but he missed it because he was
on paternity leaveWhen he left the Army in January 2011, he had not been formally
diagnosed with PTSD and then became chronically depressed.
"I'd feel suicidal every day," he said. "I probably didn't leave the house properly for about a year."
He applied for compensation from the Army but it was refused because he had never
been formally diagnosed with PTSD.He has been unable to work since so his partner
must support him and their three children.The MoD said 2.9% of serving soldiers
developed PTSD, which is lower than the general population.The number of soldiers with
PTSD has more than doubled in the past three years among those who served in
Afghanistan, according to MoD figures obtained via Panorama's FOI request.But Dr
Herbert said: "Post-traumatic stress disorder in itself should not lead to suicide."
"PTSD is a condition that indicates something has deeply disturbed the system and is a
warning that the system needs help and needs to regulate again."
Nobody can be sure how many of the 21 soldiers and 29 veterans who took their own
lives in 2012 were suffering from PTSD as the reasons for suicide are complex.
"The evidence suggests there's more of a problem than the government and the MoD
are admitting to," said Colonel Stuart Tootal, a former commander of 3 Para.
The former head of the British army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, wants the suicide
rate among veterans to be monitored."It's pretty clear to me that it should be
happening because once you have somestatistics you can start to do something about
it," he said.
'Victims of war'
The MoD said it was not prepared to talk about individual cases but has committed £7.4
m to ensure there is extensive mental health support in place for everyone who needs
it. It said 134,780 soldiers have been deployed to Afghanistan since 2001.
Continue reading the main story
Number of soldiers with initial diagnosis of PTSD who served in Afghanistan
2009 - 108
2010 - 180
2011 - 183
2012 - 231
Source: Ministry of Defence
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68702000/jpg/_68702125_dancollinsrelaxedwithoutshirt.jpg
The National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire honours the military casualties of
every conflict since WWII.The names of soldiers who killed themselves in
Afghanistan are engraved on the wall but those who took their own lives after
returning home are not mentioned.L/Sgt Collins was a serving soldier at the time of
his death on 1 January 2012 but his name will not be on the memorial."It's
heartbreaking because Daniel would have been so proud to have his name carved
somewhere," said Mrs Collins."Soldiers with PTSD are exactly the same. They're
victims of war and they should be treated exactly the same."You can watch a
Panorama special, Broken by Battle, on BBC One at 21:00 BST or Monday, 15 July
or catch up later on the iPlayer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23259865