Join our battle to rebuild lives of war victim and defeat PTSD
THE Sunday Express Christmas appeal is backing Combat Stress, a charity for veterans. This week DANNY BUCKLAND discovers the difference they can make to the lives of traumatised troops...
The high-performing executive looks like most other committed professionals busy at work. His colleagues have no idea about the psychological traumas that threatened his life after he survived three armed conflicts.
He endured 14 attempts to detox from the alcohol addiction he used to drown out the terrors of Northern Ireland, the Balkans and the Gulf War.
“We persisted. he persisted and he now has a good job and his family is back together,” said Dr Walter Busuttil, of veterans’ charity Combat Stress. “It’s just one of a huge number of uplifting success stories we have. he was suffer- ing post traumatic stress disorder. It does not have to be a life sentence.”
Former RAF wing commander Dr Busuttil, who was part of the team that helped rehabilitate the Beirut hostages Terry Waite, John McCarthy and Jackie Mann after their 1991 release, called for more support from the Government and the NhS for Britain’s war veterans.
PTSD is the primary diagnosis in 75 per cent of veterans coming to the charity for help while 69 per cent of patients have alcohol problems and 62 per cent suffer depression.
“We have a big range of patients. I had a 93-year-old former Tail-end Charlie gunner on Lancaster bombers whose wife had dealt with everything for him so when she died, he totally collapsed.
“The very next patient was a 19-year- old soldier back from Afghanistan. They both had PTSD.”
Combat Stress has three treatment centres, in Ayrshire, Staffordshire and Surrey. It works with NHS services and is partnering the Royal British Legion to develop walk-in clinics at their clubs. Dr Busuttil said: “We do need more funding to help more veterans and their families.”
Prime Minister David Cameron, who praised the charity’s 24-hour helpline, said: “I’m delighted to support the Sunday Express Christmas Appeal.”
His deputy Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband also backed our campaign.
Sunday Express Christmas Appeal
To Donate: Please write your name, address, postcode and email address and send it along with your cheque (made payable to Combat Stress) to:
SUNDAY EXPRESS CHRISTMAS APPEAL, COMBAT STRESS, Tyrwhitt House, Oaklawn Road, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 0BX
TO DONATE BY TELEPHONE: Please call 01372 587151
TO DONATE ONLINE: express.co.uk/combatstress
TO DONATE BY TEXT: Please text FUTURE to 70004 to donate £5 (See www.combatstress.org.uk/terms-and-conditions for details.)
