Calls for more support for ex-servicemen and women over fireworks trauma
Concern is growing amongst the emergency services and charities who support ex-servicemen and women over the lack of mental health support available to them when they return from combat.
As bonfire night and the usual new year celebrations pass, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) victims still can’t get away from bangs that are triggers leaving them “frozen in time”.
Iain Roden, an ex-serviceman, said: “These days it’s not a case of a few hours on the fifth, it’s any time.
“It’s the not knowing when it’s going to start or when it will stop.”
Fireworks are no longer restricted to November 5 — they are set off at Christmas, new year and for birthdays.
With no warning, PTSD suffers cannot prepare for the challenging night ahead. Instead the trigger comes out of the blue and forces them to relive a traumatic event.
Iain said: “The problem with flashbacks is it seems real — you are physically there, frozen in time, over and over again.
“I can lose hours without knowing.
“Imagine reliving the fear over and over again, adrenaline, it makes my heart race. I get hot sweats. I’m seeing it all over again. It feels real,” he added.
When asked how he prepares and copes with bonfire night, Iain’s short answer was that he does not cope.
He said: “I have the television on volume 40 and wear ear plugs.”
