Information for Military Personel • ASSIST Trauma Care

Whether you are still enrolled as a member of the Armed Forces of have now finished your military service, your experience as a soldier, sailor or airman is likely to remain with you for the rest of your life. You will have faced many challenges. You may have received incoming fire or witnessed the death or injury of friends, or even civilians. You may have survived an attack when others didn’t, or have yourself been seriously injured. Even if you have never actually come under fire, being in an unfamiliar setting and culture overseas will in itself have been hugely challenging and may have complicated your military experiences even further. While you were away you will have been in military mindset. Now back in the UK, adjusting can be difficult. If you have been on active service more than once this may actually have made things more difficult rather than easier.

Time spent in a war zone changes people. It also changes those back home who welcome them back into family life. Most service personnel will readjust to life at home with few major problems, but this may take a few months. While you readjust these are common problems you may experience:

Trouble sleeping
Headaches and sweating when thinking of the war
Bad dreams, nightmares, flashbacks or frequent unwanted memories
Anger
Feeling guilty, self-blame, shame
Agitated, easily upset, irritated, or annoyed
Emotionally numb or dazed.
Trouble concentrating
Edgy, jumpy and easily startled
Being on guard, always alert,
Too much drinking, smoking, or drug use
Aggressive driving habits.

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If any of your comrades died during the war, you may think about them a lot, and while memories like this are buzzing around in your head you may find common family issues more irritating. Minor incidents can lead to severe over-reactions, such as yelling at your partner, kids, or others. You may be unable to tell your family or friends about what happened when you were away. You may not want to scare them by speaking about it, or maybe you think that no one will understand

While all of this is normal, if you continue to experience these reactions regularly for longer than six to eight weeks after you return home, to the extent that you can’t function effectively, this may indicate a more serious problems such as PTSD. You may think that you should cope on your own, that others can’t help you or that eventually the problem will go away on its own. Or you may be embarrassed to talk to someone about it. But if these symptoms don’t decrease over a few months, or if they continue to cause significant problems in your daily life, they are unlikely to go away without help – it’s time to seek treatment from a professional.

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It is important to remember that PTSD is treatable and that seeking help is a sign of strength

We hope that you will find the information on this website helpful. There are many different organisations in the UK set up to provide help specifically for military personnel. However, if you would like to seek help from ASSIST please do not hesitate to contact us.

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If you would like to discuss whether therapy from ASSIST can help you, please telephone 01788 551919 or click here email us.

For Military Personnel

Assist Trauma Care