Council tackles Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 22nd Jul 2003

The plight of ex-serviceman suffering from the medical condition Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has been recognised by Leeds City Council.

At the full council meeting on 16th July 2003, Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors united to put forward a motion urging Leeds MPs to lobby the Government to ensure adequate and ongoing funding for specialist health services for returning service personnel and others suffering from this illness.

The motion, put forward by Cllr David Morton, a Liberal Democrat councillor for the Headingley ward in Leeds, received all-party support and shows the commitment the council has in ensuring that former members of the armed and emergency services have access to adequate mental health services, especially in light of the end of major combat operations in the current Gulf conflict.

Cllr Morton said, "The greatest sacrifice that any society, still more a democracy, can ask of a citizen is to lay down their life. I think that we could all agree that our armed services deserve as much support after an armed conflict as during it".

"However, figures from the National Gulf Veterans and Families Association puts 20% of all deaths amongst veterans as suicide. The MOD's own figures show that the suicide total amongst Falkland veterans has now reached 50% of combat casualties. Surveys of rough sleepers regularly show upwards of 25% of people as being ex-service personnel."

"PTSD requires long-term and expensive therapy, yet the Public Health minister has confirmed that the government has not made any specific resources available for mental health services. I strongly feel that if we don't act now, we will pay in the end in terms of hospital admissions, social breakdown and individual tragedy."