"An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behaviour." - Concentration-camp survivor Viktor Frankl
[hr]
This thread is intended as a ‘quick reference guide’ for those who feel they may need help.

Please post any guidance you feel would be useful for those who wish to seek help related to PTSD. Also, any guidance for friends and family, or even employers, to enable them to get help for those suffering would be welcome.

Routes to help.

For those serving, the first port of call is the padre or MO.

For those ex-service personnel you should first speak to your GP.
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As I understand it, these routes can sometimes be very difficult. Any suggestions for other routes to assistance would be very useful. (Combat stress for example) Please share any experiences, good and bad, with your chosen route to help.

There is also a lot of information on the web about PTSD. Included below are some links to support organisations and related articles. Please read. One of the common themes to many of these sites is; You are NOT alone.

Combat Stress
Ex-services mental welfare society.

NHS Direct
Site contains information of NHS treatments for PTSD and it also contains some related information.

National Institue for Clinical Excellence Site has a number of reports containing useful infomation.

Related article in Psychology Today magazine.

PTSD.org.uk
Some useful and concise information on PTSD.

Arrse thread - Treatment on the NHS for PTSD

Arrse thread - PTSD and homeless ex-servicemen

Arrse thread - (US) veterans twice as likley to commit suicide

Related Forum Thread on military.com

Arrse Thread - PTSD

Arrse Thread - PTSD

Arrse Thread - BMJ - Mental Health and Overstretch - UK Forces

Arrse Thread -Should Veterans have right to treatment on NHS?

link to Canadian support site with some useful information

Link to an Australian site with some useful information

Link to Reserves Mental Health Program
Contact Number 0800 0326258

Arrse Thread on "Reserves Mental Health Program"
There is some useful info on the program.

Arrse thread on a University of essex report on the mental health of young soldiers.

BBC article discussing PTSD
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I will edit this post to include useful links, books and suggested routes to help as they are posted.

Lastly, I am not an expert in this subject so any assistance or corrections of any errors I may make would be greatly appreciated.

Edited repeatedly to add related threads.
Edited to fix broken links. Please PM me if you find broken links, ta.

Email received from Combat Stress following request for info for those seeking assistance.

Dear ******,
PTSD can manifest itself years and years after the actual event, signs to look for are aggression, mood swings, increase in alcohol consumption, night sweats, nightmares, unable to talk about what has happened, easily upset, sometimes you are consumed entirely about what has happened.

Anyone can either refer themselves by 'phone, letter, E-mail, or through family/friends or sometimes GPS refer clients to us, also Mental Health Teams. I would suggest that anyone E-mailing us tell us whereabouts they live, because the first thing we will do is contact the nearest Welfare Officer to their home. We have 13 Welfare Officers throughout the UK - each with their own area who visit clients in their own homes. They are all ex- Servicemen themselves and fully understand what PTSD is all about. They can also help with War Pensions and Appeals. We have three treatment centres - Tyrwhitt House in Surrey, Audley Court in Shropshire and Hollybush House in Ayrshire.

My Bold.

Following a post by themonsstar on this thread I have collected the following info.

NHS Documents link - NHS Guidelines HSG(97)31

This has been referenced by many medical agencies in the UK.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/324/7333/321#22850
http://www.publications.doh.gov.uk/c...tin19oct.htm#4
http://www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/content/sho...?contentid=416 (point 8.25)

Related discussion on arrse.
MP mauled on ITV news over PTSD

Included in the themonsstars' post was the following.

Originally Posted by themonsstar

Executive summary [Of HSG(97)31]

These guidelines abvise health authorities and trusts of an extension of the definition of the term "War Pensioner" to cover people who were injured or disabled as a result of service in the armed forces.

A War Pensioner has previously been classified as someone who has a pension or who had a gratuity for disablement caused by armed service. This includes merchant seamen & civilians who receive pensions for wartime injuries.

In 1953 hospitals run by the Ministry of pensions for the treatment of war pensioners were transferred to the NHS. The Government gave an undertaking that there would be priority examination & treatment for war pensioners in NHS hospitals for the condition or conditions for which the war pensioners received a pension or gratuity.

NHS hospitals should give priority to war pensioners, both as out-patients & in-patients, for examination or treatment which relates to the condition(unless there is emergency case or another case demands clinical priority).

Referrals for treatment sould make it clear that the patient is a war pensioner.

War pensioner can use the NHS complains system to resolve any alleged breakdowns in the arrangements for priority treatment.

Chief executives of health authorities & trusts should ensure that general practitioners & relevant hospital (maybe your not one) staff are advised of the definition of a war pensioner & are reminded of the arrangements for priority treatment of War Pensioners.

So, if your injury (PTSD included) was caused by your service, you should recieve priority treatment.

I have attached a PDF of HSG(97)31.

Edited to remove broken link.

Useful info. All I can add is a warning to beware of padres in certain circumstances because their first loyalty is to their foodbowl. The same can be said for the AWA if they still exist.

Thats not a dig at all of 'em but take it from one who's been through the hoop.

for those of us who are now in civvie street speak to the royal british legion about ptsd they will help and support you quicker than a cant be arsed civvie doctor

pittagyros made a great point! The RBL or equiv if in another country will be far more useful for those who have left the service than a civ GP!

For those of us still in...the mess bar with a couple of muckers of similar experience is not to be underrated! Even if you don't think you have any symptons...these days it's almost a given.

May I request that the Reserves Mental Health Programme (RMHP) be included in your links, just in case a Reservist enquires on this thread.

Just because the concept was dreamed up and instigated by a STAB doesn't mean it is bad! It can help.

Originally Posted by invisiblehelper

May I request that the Reserves Mental Health Programme (RMHP) be included in your links, just in case a Reservist enquires on this thread.

Just because the concept was dreamed up and instigated by a STAB doesn't mean it is bad! It can help.

Done and thank you for the suggestion.

If anyone has any useful info or links on the subject, please feel free to post on this thread.

Originally Posted by SkiCarver

Following a post by themonsstar on this thread I have collected the following info.

NHS Documents link - NHS Guidelines HSG(97)31

This has been referenced by many medical agencies in the UK.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/324/7333/321#22850
http://www.publications.doh.gov.uk/c...tin19oct.htm#4
http://www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/content/sho...?contentid=416 (point 8.25)

Related discussion on arrse.
MP mauled on ITV news over PTSD

Included in the themonsstars' post was the following.

Originally Posted by themonsstar

Executive summary [Of HSG(97)31]

These guidelines abvise health authorities and trusts of an extension of the definition of the term "War Pensioner" to cover people who were injured or disabled as a result of service in the armed forces.

A War Pensioner has previously been classified as someone who has a pension or who had a gratuity for disablement caused by armed service. This includes merchant seamen & civilians who receive pensions for wartime injuries.

In 1953 hospitals run by the Ministry of pensions for the treatment of war pensioners were transferred to the NHS. The Government gave an undertaking that there would be priority examination & treatment for war pensioners in NHS hospitals for the condition or conditions for which the war pensioners received a pension or gratuity.

NHS hospitals should give priority to war pensioners, both as out-patients & in-patients, for examination or treatment which relates to the condition(unless there is emergency case or another case demands clinical priority).

Referrals for treatment sould make it clear that the patient is a war pensioner.

War pensioner can use the NHS complains system to resolve any alleged breakdowns in the arrangements for priority treatment.

Chief executives of health authorities & trusts should ensure that general practitioners & relevant hospital (maybe your not one) staff are advised of the definition of a war pensioner & are reminded of the arrangements for priority treatment of War Pensioners.

So, if your injury (PTSD included) was caused by your service, you should recieve priority treatment.

I have attached a PDF of HSG(97)31.


Edited to remove broken link.

With regards to the above, the Department of Health have now issued an extension to guidlines HSG(97)31 to include all veterans of the armed forces regardless of whether they are war pensioners or not. These veterans should receive priority treatment in the NHS for conditions related to service (DH, 200. You can contact richard @ militarymentalhealth.co.uk to find out the work we do offering Health & Social Care organisations training.