The Ulster Unionist Party’s Justice Spokesperson, Doug Beattie MC MLA, has highlighted the ongoing plight of a former soldier battling with PTSD as part of his call for more help for those struggling with poor mental health.
Doug Beattie MC MLA said:
“Given that last week was mental health awareness week, I am very disheartened to hear that a veteran - who has been living in a tent for the last two years with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - has been admitted to hospital having suffered a heart attack.
“This individual - who has been referred to as “the Mournes veteran” - was forced out of his home by social services who have shown no regard for his mental condition. It is clear they neither accepted his PTSD diagnosis - which he has been treated for for over 14 years - or indeed understood its symptoms, in this case hyper vigilance.
“For two years this veteran has fought PTSD while living in a tent; at the same time his wife and children have desperately worked through social services and the courts to allow him home to his family. Over this period, as I have attempted to support the family, I have personally watched as the veteran’s physical and mental health has deteriorated and the family struggle to maintain cohesion under immense pressure.
“This is something I have raised with social services on a number of occasions.
“As we, as a society, focus on mental health issues within our communities it is important to realise you can take the term ‘veteran’ out of the equation - if that helps you show compassion - and you will still be left with a man suffering PTSD in desperate need of help. A family in desperate need of support and statutory agencies that clearly have a gap in their support mechanisms.
“PTSD is not a military issue, it’s a mental health issue, an anxiety disorder caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events. It can affect anyone from the emergency services, to someone who has been involved in a serious road accident or the victim of a violent personal assault such as a mugging.
“So this is not about whether we have an Armed Forces Covenant or not - that issue seems to be used by many as a bargaining chip to gain advantage. This is about dealing with mental health and all those who suffer from it regardless of what prefix you give them.”