Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust offers support for veterans with mental health problems

Last Friday marked the 75th anniversary of VE day, and Buckinghamshire and the United Kingdom put up an amazing show of thanks to people who have served in our armed forces even in difficult circumstances as the Coronavirus pandemic continues.

Most British military personnel do not experience mental health problems while they are in service or when they transition into civilian life.

However, about one in five veterans will experience a mental health issue.

The most common mental health problems for ex-Service personnel are alcohol problems, depression and anxiety disorder.

Dr Deborah Lee, Berkshire Healthcare’s lead for the Veterans’ service says: “We are delighted to be able to deliver evidence-based psychological treatments for our veteran

population, enabling them to access local, specialist and community based care in a timely manner.

"Our team is highly skilled and passionate about making a real difference to people’s quality of life once they have left the armed services."

Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust offers a range of support to veterans across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and the Isle of White with a dedicated service offering treatment for a range of military related difficulties including PTSD, depression, anger management and other complex and challenging needs.

A spokespeson from Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust said:

"We understand that the Covid-19 pandemic is putting additional pressure on people, raising levels of anxiety, restricting our social interaction and increasing people’s worries about the

future.

"Especially in these difficult times, we’d like to reassure people that we are here to help. Our support is available to all ex-service members of the armed forces, regardless of rank or

number of years of service. It is also available to reservists who are not currently mobilised.

"We can provide online or telephone appointments and veterans can self-refer and family and friends can also refer a loved one who may benefit from our support by calling 0300 365

0300 or emailing: [email protected]"

If you would like more information on the services avaliable, please visit: https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/our-services/mental-health-and-wellbeing/veterans-mental-health-complex-treatment-service-cts/Under the ‘How we can help’ section you will find a video, where you can hear from veterans about the support that we have been able to offer them.