Are British troops being looked after when they return from war zones? (Picture: PA)

The numbers are shocking. Every 65 minutes, a US military veteran takes his own life, the equivalent of 22 former soldiers committing suicide every day.

The statistics, published this month by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, follow figures released earlier this year which show more active-duty US soliders killed themselves (177) in 2012 than died in war zones (176).

Across all services, 349 military personnel committed suicide last year, compared to the 311 American troops killed in combat.

The British military has come to pride itself on the support it provides its troops to avoid such harrowing figures, but there remains concern that more could be done to help service personnel returning from combat, as well as those being discharged back into civilian life.




Studies into the mental health issues suffered by British troops show those under the age of 24 are most at risk, with a report in 2009 suggesting young servicemen were three times more likely to kill themselves compared to civilians in the same age bracket.

Louis Appleby, national director of Mental Health in England, concedes the issue of military suicide is ‘difficult to talk about’.

He said: ‘People are nervous about saying [anything] that could sound a little bit negative about soldiers because they do a job that most of us would not be prepared to do.’

Earlier this month, it was revealed that between 2001 and 2011, 50 British troops committed suicide after tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, with eight taking place during the conflicts and 23 of the remaining 42 killing themselves on Ministry of Defence property.

It has also been claimed that more veterans of the Falklands have killed themselves since 1982 than died in the conflict itself and of the 234,000 people who left the British armed forces between 1996 and 2005, 224 committed suicide.

Mr Appleby said while suicide rates in those serving in the British military were ‘relatively low’ compared to the United States, ‘now people are worried about the next problem of what about those who have left and maybe are not being supported enough’.

MORE: Soldiers leaving army three times more likely to commit suicide

It is a concern shared by veterans groups, with David Wilcox, the service lead for the South West Veterans Mental Health Service, claiming the NHS is finding it difficult to keep track of those released by the forces.

‘Services aren’t getting the full information yet on who is leaving, on who is being discharged and where they are going to,’ he said.

The NHS services are desperate for more information from the MoD as to when veterans will be coming to live in certain areas so health professionals can more proactively follow them up rather than hope they surface if they need help.

Mr Wilcox admitted the stigma attached to mental health issues, especially in the military, and the potential reluctance to ask for help was ‘a big issue’.

Conservative MP for North Wiltshire, James Gray, agrees and believes more should be done to make troops and veterans aware of the help they can receive.

‘There is a degree of reluctance to acknowledge mental health problems,’ he said. ‘The key thing with veterans has to be both making them aware of what’s available and also encouraging them to take it up.’



The Tory MP has been part of a campaign calling for higher awareness in all primary care trusts and GP surgeries of the issues veterans may be suffering silently, potentially decades after leaving the military.

The loss of their social network, respect, regular wage and guaranteed accommodation are all issues which experts have claimed can add to the stress of leaving the forces.

In the US last week, the Navy Seal who killed Osama bin Laden finally broke his silence about the infamous raid in 2011 and claimed he feels ‘neglected’ by the government.

On describing leaving the Seals, he said: ‘You’re out of the service, your [health] coverage is over. Thanks for your 16 years. Go f*** yourself.’

MORE: Navy Seal who killed Osama bin Laden speaks out

The pressures of leaving the military can be intense and Dr Nicola Fear, from the King’s Centre for Military Health Research, claims addressing mental health issues may be low on veterans’ priorities.

‘For some veterans, until they have settled somewhere they are slightly nomadic, in that they are perhaps going from temporary accommodation until they settle in an area and perhaps find employment,’ she said.

‘And perhaps at the forefront of their minds is, “Right, now I’ve got a job and somewhere to live I need to get on with my life,” and maybe going to your GP and going, “Oh, by the way I’m a veteran” may not be the first thing they think of when they are going through that process of transitioning to civilian life.’


Mr Wilcox, who concedes the veteran population isn’t particularly easy to reach, especially as the health services ‘don’t know where veterans are necessarily’, agrees there must be a number of former military personnel suffering in silence.

‘There must be a lot out there that aren’t so bad that they’ve been picked up but they’ve maybe suffering and don’t yet feel comfortable about it to come forward or feel they should just get on with it,’ he added.

Like Mr Gray, he believes the key lies in raising awareness of the services available, for those just recently discharged to those who left decades ago.

A number of charities and organisations, from Combat Stress (which has done research showing 81 per cent of veterans are ashamed or embarrassed about their mental health problems) to Help for Heroes, have been set up to help veterans, while multi-million pound businesses such as Everton Football Club have actively gone out of their way to help former service personnel in their communities.

Many believe the burden shouldn’t just be taken up by such organisations and that society as a whole should play a larger role in looking after those who have given their lives to protect their country.

They claim it’s a burden we all should bear.

For more information on the mental health services available to military personnel, click HERE or ring Combat Stress on 0800 138 1619.