Advertisement

Films and TV dramas should portray PTSD in a more positive light, Help for Heroes says

Members of three commando brigade during the Falklands War in 1982 - PA
Members of three commando brigade during the Falklands War in 1982 - PA

Film and TV dramas should ditch their negative portrayals of veterans with PTSD, the charity Help for Heroes has said.

The group said it did not expect programmes to lack dramatic moments, but called for a "broader, more representative spectrum" of storylines and for trigger warnings to be used ahead of portrayals of veterans’ mental health.

Former service personnel said they had trouble getting mortgages, have been overlooked for civilian jobs, and had even been kicked off dating sites after disclosing they had a PTSD diagnosis.

Jay Saunders, a former Royal Navy lieutenant commander with PTSD, described the characterisation of servicemen and women as often "lazy stereotyping".

The 53-year-old, from Gosport in Hampshire, said: "The general public when they hear of PTSD and added with 'veteran', the first thing they think of is violence.

"My PTSD came from humanitarian aid. I was not even armed [on deployment in Sierra Leone].

"But the label is 'You're military, therefore you've killed, and when you flashback, you're gonna kill again'."

The Help for Heroes campaign was backed by actor and documentary presenter Ross Kemp - Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty
The Help for Heroes campaign was backed by actor and documentary presenter Ross Kemp - Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty

Trevor Cowell, 39, who served with the likes of the Royal Army Medical Corps during nearly two decades in the military, said: "All you want is for people to see you in a positive light, because you still feel that you're representing your cap badge.

"But the negative portrayal encourages you to be even more insular because if that's what people automatically think about PTSD, then you don't want to discuss it with people.

"If you say you have been in a car accident and you have PTSD, I think people treat you more sympathetically than if you have PTSD from being in the forces, and I'd love that misconception to change."

The campaign was backed by actor and documentary presenter Ross Kemp, who said: “[Stereotypes are] having a real negative impact on people that have served their country.

"They're brave enough to come forward and admit they've got an issue, which is often very difficult for people.

"Drama needs drama, obviously, otherwise it's not interesting.

"But there seems to be a continuous portrayal of service personnel with mental health issues that often result in negative outcomes."

Falklands War veterans

While attitudes towards psychological trauma and services for veterans have improved, problems remain.

Earlier this year, Help for Heroes said that many veterans of the Falklands War suffering from PTSD had yet to come forward for help.

Mike Carr, a Parachute Regiment veteran, told The Telegraph at the time that being okay was “just a mask. They need to talk, but that’s not what we did when we were younger, that wasn’t our way.

“Now, it’s still not brilliant, but we’ve got better at it. We [Falklands veterans] didn’t get anything.”