FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is The Enemy Within Appeal?
A: In March 2010 our Patron, HRH The Prince of Wales launched our major fundraising campaign - The Enemy Within Appeal. Since 2005 we have seen a 72% increase in demand for our services from psychologically injured Veterans. We want to raise £30m over the next three years to meet this demand, improve the treatment we provide and establish 14 nationwide Community Outreach Teams. By doing so we will make sure that Veterans and their families are never far from Combat Stress' help.
Q: Do I have to have seen active Service to be eligible for treatment?
A: No. If you have served in any of Her Majesty's Forces or Merchant Navy you are eligible.
Q: How can Combat Stress help me?
A: We can help Veterans in two ways: with community outreach services and short-stay treatment.
Q: How long will I have to wait to get help?
A: Because of current demand, about six to seven weeks for one of our Welfare Officers to visit you at home.
Q: Do I have to pay?
A: No. The services we provide are free of charge, and regardless of War Pension/Armed Forces Compensation Scheme status.
Q: Why do you have only three treatment centres which offer short-stay care?
A: It's partly a matter of resources. We have also recognised the need to bring clinical care to Veterans closer to home, where it is often needed most. Combat Stress has therefore launched The Enemy Within Appeal to raise £30 million to develop existing services and establish a nationwide community outreach programme.
Q: What happens when I am admitted to one of your treatment centres?
A: Your first visit will be for a period of approximately five days to assess your clinical needs, after which a care plan may be drawn up. Further admissions for treatment may follow as a result of your assessment, and then it is up to you to engage with this treatment.
Q: Will I have to talk about my experiences?
A: You don't have to do or say anything until you feel safe and ready.
Q: Will I get better?
A: We can't guarantee a cure – nobody can – but the majority of our Veterans feel better and more in control of their lives with our help.
Q: Is it good for Veterans to be surrounded by other Veterans who will remind them of their experiences?
A: We provide specialist treatment and care in an ex-Service environment, and it is the latter that our Veterans find so reassuring; it's a structure with which they can identify. They also find it comforting to find that they are not alone – that other Veterans are suffering with similar conditions. This provides an excellent platform on which to base our Veterans' care and treatment.
Q: Is there a particular type of person that is especially vulnerable to psychological problems?
A: No. Psychological problems can occur in anyone. It is not a sign of weakness or failure.
Q: If a Veteran's condition gets worse and they need urgent help, can you help?
A: We are not a rapid reaction force but we will direct the individual to local NHS medical or psychiatric services.
Q: Does Combat Stress treat Veterans with alcohol/addictive disorders?
A: Yes, but we don't provide a detoxification service. We can, however, help to co-ordinate detoxification locally, followed by our immediate intervention with bespoke trauma-focused treatment for those suffering from PTSD. The Veteran must, however, agree to abstain before being admitted to the treatment programme. Addiction issues and strategies to overcome them will be addressed during their treatment with us.
Q: What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
A: It is a psychological response to the experience of an event (or events) of an intensely traumatic nature. These type of events often involve a risk to life – one's own or that of one's colleague(s). PTSD can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender or culture. You can read more about the condition here.
Q: Do all the Veterans in your care suffer from PTSD?
A: The Veterans in our care suffer from a range of psychological injuries, including PTSD, mood disorders (such as depression), and anxiety states, including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, phobias and free-floating anxiety.
Q: Why is the NHS not treating Veterans with PTSD?
A: It is, but the service appears to be patchy at present. With so many demands on the NHS, local facilities may not offer specialist trauma-focused services, or be able to manage Veterans in a contextually sensitive environment. There are currently very few specialist services to meet the treatment needs of this Veteran group.
Recently, Combat Stress has signed a partnership agreement with the MoD and the Department of Health: this aims to strengthen local NHS provision in areas where we know that a high proportion of Veterans live.
Q: What is the ratio of male and female Veterans?
A: 3.3% of our Veterans are female.
Q: Presumably your Veterans were all injured during World War Two. Does this mean that you will soon run out of patients?
A: Quite the contrary. The average age of new referrals last year was 43. Our youngest Veteran is just 20; and our oldest, 103. The Veterans that we support represent every military and peace-keeping operation that British Forces have been involved in since the Second World War. These include Northern Ireland, the Falklands, Gulf War 1, the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Q: When was Combat Stress founded and why?
A: We were established on 12 May 1919, after the end of the First World War. During this time vast numbers of Service men were returned to civilian life suffering the effects of what was then known as "shell shock". Many were wrongly and unnecessarily confined in lunatic asylums, as there was no other provision at the time. The founding Trustees, mainly women, believed that the way to rehabilitate these casualties could be achieved through training, so that these men could return to work. Our activities have obviously developed considerably since then.
Q: How many Veterans have you helped since 1919?
A: Over the past 90 years Combat Stress has supported almost 100,000 Veterans with Service-related mental health problems. We are currently receiving new referrals at the rate of 1,000+ per year.
Q: How many people do you help presently?
A: More than 4,300 Veterans are registered with the charity.