Armed forces veteran speaks out on overcoming alcohol addiction and tragic life events

A former armed forces veteran is speaking out about overcoming serious mental health problems in support of a new service set up to support fellow veterans in crisis.

John Standish (53) joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) Police in 1985 and served for six years, reaching the rank of Corporal. Whilst serving, John became embroiled in a drinking culture that he continued to struggle with after her left the military. However, life wasn’t kind to John after his stint in the RAF, and he had to face a number of traumas which led him to attempt suicide several times.

He received help from the NHS, Walking With The Wounded and other support agencies. During some of his most difficult times, John was admitted to an inpatient mental health ward in Northumberland. Whilst this was a helpful and positive experience, he feels more knowledge of the military in the NHS would have helped him recovery quicker.

From this week, the northern team of the Veterans’ Mental Health High Intensity Service is reaching out to mental health inpatient wards across the North of England to expand their service offer, which includes training for staff to help them support the needs of veterans in crisis.

The High Intensity Service was launched in November 2020 as part of a national pilot programme to improve mental health services for veterans in crisis – working with locally-based mental health services where a veteran is based.

David Rowley, Head of Operations for Regional and Specialist Services at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’ve developed this through a strong collaboration between the NHS, support charities and, most importantly, veterans who have experienced services first hand. It is their stories that have shaped what we offer – notably around supporting their journey through treatment which can include their families.

“We know that veterans can struggle to engage with health services, particularly mental health, and sometimes it can take years for them to seek help. This means they can present in crisis to local services that might not have experience of dealing with veterans with complex mental health problems.

“That’s where we can really help. We have an expert team of clinicians and support officers, some of whom are veterans themselves. We’ll get involved really quickly and support veterans and their families through their immediate crisis and into longer term recovery.”

Find out more about the Veterans’ Mental Health High Intensity Service on their website.

John’s story in full

John Standish was posted in the UK, Germany, Cyprus and deployed to Riyadh during the first Gulf War. He left the military in 1991. John was brought up in Northumberland in a good, family home but he was bullied relentlessly at school. As a result he suffered from very low self-esteem that continued into his adult life.

Whilst serving, John became embroiled in a drinking culture that he continued to struggle with after her left the military. However, life wasn’t kind to John after his stint in the RAF, and he had to face a number of traumas which led him to attempt suicide several times. He received help from the NHS, Walking With The Wounded and other support agencies but feels more knowledge of the military in the NHS would have helped him recovery quicker.

John, who lives in Northumberland, takes up his story . . .

John Standish

“After I left school, I became interested in a career in the military and the recruitment officer persuaded me to join the RAF Police. I served for six years and was posted in the UK, Germany, Cyprus and deployed to Riyadh during the first Gulf War. It was in the RAF that I participated in the drinking culture that was common in the military and it was then that my ‘relationship’ with alcohol began.

“After I left the RAF in 1991, I went into the regular police force where I had a long and successful career. My drinking had tailed off since the military, but it increased when my wife started a relationship with a very close colleague of mine at my work. My mental health really declined at this point and I seriously considered self-harm. Ultimately, I couldn’t cope with the situation at work and I was forced to end my police career.

“Over the next 20 years, my drinking escalated to a critical point and my mental health suffered as a result. A couple of times, I was in a very bad way and I sought help from the Crisis Team Helpline but I only received emergency support. There was no follow-up or referral, and I was simply left to my own devices. I also received cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and talking therapies, and was a hospital inpatient several times with suspected pancreatitis as a direct result of my alcohol consumption. Admittedly, I was never completely honest and open about my feelings and experiences and, as I was also still drinking heavily, nothing really worked to ease the situation.

“In 2019, a mental health nurse at my GP surgery referred me to the Veterans Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service (TILS). They really helped to turn things around and made me feel that someone was finally taking me seriously; that they understood; and that the treatment was specific to me. I began to feel much more positive and my drinking reduced.

“Then, I suffered three traumatic events in quick succession – my father died, I lost my job, and my relationship ended – it was all too much to deal with and I went into another tailspin. I made several suicide attempts and was referred to St Georges Psychiatric hospital in Morpeth – initially this was informally but then I was admitted as an inpatient for 10 days.

“I found both TILS and my time in hospital a very positive experience and it really helped my mental state. They stabilised me and got me to a place where I could go and seek further help and to finally stop drinking.

“I went back to the hospital for an assessment in June 2020. A little while later they sent me a letter saying that I had behavioural problems and bi-polar traits. There was no suggested follow-up and I was just left alone. At this point, I could have really done with some support to help me make sense of all of this and to advise me on how to deal with it.

“In hindsight, I wish I had been referred to a military charity much earlier in the process as I really would have benefitted from some form of continuous and veteran-specific mental health support. Outside of the military there is a lack of knowledge about the armed forces and the whole military process. The mind is a delicate thing and needs more than just medicine – that’s merely a sticking plaster that doesn’t get to the root of the problem.

“The Covid19 lockdown turned out to be a good thing for me and gave me time to re-group and think about my future. I haven’t touched alcohol in six months and my mental and physical health has improved as a result. I’m currently completing on-line courses in Customer Services and I hope to get a job at a brand-new shopping mall that is being built really close to where I live.”

John Standish

“The treatment I received through TILS was a very positive experience for me – the team understood my situation and I genuinely and readily engaged with it. I wish that I had been referred earlier to a veteran specific service as only those who have been in the military really understand.”

John benefited from help from veterans’ support charity Walking With The Wounded (WWTW). They assisted with his recovery from alcohol addiction through a referral to Alcoholics Anonymous, and helped John by encouraging him to participate in activities outside his home and in supporting him to find work. They also invited him to be a member of the recruitment panel for the new WWTW liaison officer team which boosted his self-confidence.

 

Mental health support for Veterans

The Veterans’ Mental Health High Intensity Service is a new NHS service that provides rapid and enhanced mental health support when veterans are in crisis. It works alongside existing specialist mental health services for former armed forces personnel to stop them from becoming as ill as Mark did.

If you are an armed forces veteran (minimum service of one day) and need mental health support you can speak to your GP or contact the NHS Veterans’ Transition Intervention and Liaison Service (TILS) in the first instance on 0303 123 1145 or email vwals@nhs.net.

Find out more about mental health services for veterans across England at https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/military-healthcare/nhs-mental-health-services-for-veterans/