No-one can prepare members of the armed forces mentally for what they witness and experience during the often brutal realities of an armed conflict. 

Despite their extremely high level of training, there is no way of knowing or testing in advance, how each individual soldier, sailor or member of the Royal Air Force will react to their combat experiences.

Because of the work that they do, members of the armed forces are placed quite literally in the firing line for developing and suffering from the potentially damaging and long term psychological problems including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Recent conflicts have left thousands of service personnel suffering with the affects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (see the What is Trauma and Symptoms of Trauma pages).

A quarter of homeless people are ex-services and 5,000 former service personnel are in prison.

Of the 3,000 patients seen by the Gulf Veterans Medical Assessment Programme (GVMAP) set up by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 1993 to monitor illnesses from the first Gulf war, 13% were diagnosed with PTSD.

Yet the problem could be much worse, with recent research suggesting that half the people who suffer traumatic events and have a psychiatric injury, do not seek medical help.

According to MoD figures, there have been 107 suicides among veterans of the first Gulf war - compared to the 24 who died in combat.

The quicker that PTSD is identified the greater the likelihood that an individual can manage the effects of the trauma and continue with their life in a positive manner.

For many service personnel it is only once they return home from conflict that the impact of their experiences really start to sink in, potentially affecting their professional and personal lives. 

The Red Poppy Company provides a range of trauma services designed to provide the right level of support to members of the armed forces and has successfully treated former service personnel suffering with PTSD (see the Case Studies page)

From enabling people to effectively spot the symptoms of trauma to managing the effects of trauma using a safe, effective and non-drugs based treatment, The Red Poppy Company can provide invaluable support for current and ex-servicemen.

In addition to helping sufferers directly, the Red Poppy Company can also provide family members with advice, literature, information and support to help them understand trauma and PTSD.

For more detailed information on the services provided by the Red Poppy Company go to the Services on Offer page.