Leaving huge scars.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. According to research, one in 10 people in the UK are expected to experience PTSD at some point in their lives and unfortunately for Associate Director of Estates, Fleet and Facilities Management Neil Maher and Paramedic Paul Dunbar, they have experienced it.

Neil Maher has been part of our green family for 20 years but before he embarked on his ambulance career, he dedicated 10 years of service to the army. During his time in the forces, Neil witnessed a lot of upsetting things, but the Falklands Conflict was something that will never leave him. He said, “I was a young 23-yearold soldier commanding a detachment of even younger soldiers, aged 18 –21. Unfortunately, during a task, six of my colleagues were killed. One was a bright, young man, a friend, who had just gotten married the day before we shipped out. It was a horrible and tragic death and looking back now, I believe was the moment that triggered my PTSD.”

I needed serious help because, in that patient, I could see myself. I went off sick after that job and I haven’t been back working in an ambulance since.”

Both Neil and Paul are now both on the road to recovery after confiding in friends and family and sourcing professional help and want to highlight the importance of this. Neil said, “I learned the hard way and it took 25 years before I got help. I don’t want anyone else to feel like that. We now know so much more about PTSD, there is so much support out there so take it.”

Paramedic Paul Dunbar has spent nearly 20 years doing a job he loves but unfortunately, last year the stress of the job became too much. He explained: “In February last year, I attended a really awful road traffic collison. The passenger had died in such a horrible way. I came away feeling very stressed and angry and I couldn’t alleviate any of the emotions. But I carried on and it was a couple of shifts later that I finally broke on a job. The patient had tipped all their pills into a cup intent on taking their own life. They’d called us before taking them and that was the final straw. I realised

Paul, who has now returned to work in a different role, said: “The fear that became all-encompassing during the last 12 months was almost unbearable. But I’m out the other side now. I don’t feel like a broken person, but I am changed, and I am still working on myself. I would ask all my colleagues to talk about issues they are struggling to reconcile. There are plenty of us in the job who have either been through this or know someone who has. Talk to us, to me. We’re not counsellors, but we can listen and maybe support.”

If you are struggling, confide in loved ones or seek support from your GP.

One in six people in the UK experience some form of mental health condition and sadly, three times as many men as women die by suicide each year. To raise awareness of men’s mental health, 111 Quality and Assurance Officer Robbie Read shares his experience.

Robbie has struggled with his mental health since a young age but when the pandemic hit in 2020, it became too much and he knew something had to change. He said, “I’ve struggled with my mental health since I can remember. A difficult childhood meant that I’ve been carrying depression, anxiety and some compulsive behaviours right into adulthood. As a teenager, I selfharmed and started making plans for suicide.”

Robbie’s school noticed the signs and he started therapy. He said, “I eventually started counselling at school and was fortunate in that this was helpful for me for at that time. But I felt ashamed and soon discontinued the counselling. Back then, I had little to no understanding of mental health. I just thought that these feelings would eventually go, or they were just a normal part of growing up, not understanding the impact that trauma had on children and young people.”

Robbie continued to struggle with anxiety, feeling low and the occasional thoughts of self-harm and suicide as he reached adulthood. He felt ashamed of these thoughts so buried them. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Robbie’s mental health struggled more than ever. He told us, “When the pandemic hit, my family and I, like countless others, were deeply impacted by separation, fear and sadly, the deaths of several loved ones. Having