From Shellshock to PTSD: A Discussion on How Best to Support Our Troops

19 May 2016: The National Army Museum is hosting a live panel discussion exploring 100 years of support for the returning soldier.

During the discussion – ‘From Shellshock to PTSD: A Discussion on How Best to Support our Troops’ – three panellists will look at how soldiers have been supported throughout history, how they are supported today and what more could be done.

Panellists will have ten minutes to present their research and their personal experiences on the topic. PTSD expert, Dr. Fiona Reid will take attendees through her research on shell shock, trauma and memory in the First World War, which formed the topic of her doctorate. Author and journalist Matthew Green will also discuss his findings from his research of veterans’ post-conflict experiences.

The final panellist will be Jake Wood, whose brutally honest book, ‘Among You’ was published after a severe diagnosis of PTSD. Jake will share his first-hand experience of returning to civilian life after conflict, the support he received from the British Army and how he faces life with PTSD today.

Over the past 100 years research and understanding relating to the health and wellbeing of soldiers returning to civilian life has significantly developed. The panel will explore questions such as:
– What is the true effect of PTSD on a soldier?
– Is there enough support for the family members of those suffering with PTSD?
– What more can the British Army do to ensure that soldiers are eased back into every day civilian life after serving in combat roles?
– Do soldiers feel unable to return to non-combat work after a diagnosis? What can employers do to help a member of staff with PTSD?

More about the Panellists

Matthew Green is the author of ‘Aftershock: The Untold Story of Surviving Peace’, published by Portobello Books. He has spent the past 14 years working as a correspondent for the Financial Times and Reuters, and has reported from more than 30 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan. Green is now based in London and appears regularly as a commentator on the BBC News Channel and World Service radio. He has written for publications including Monocle, Newsweek, FHM and the Literary Review.

Dr Fiona Reid is Deputy Head of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of South Wales. In 2011, her book ‘Broken Men: Shell Shock, Treatment and Recovery in Britain 1914-30’ was published. Dr Reid is regional secretary for the Women’s History Network and sits on the committee of the National Army Records Society.

Jake Wood is a former reservist soldier who advised Matthew Green on his book. Following two tours in Iraq in 2003 and 2004, and one in Afghanistan in 2007, Jake was diagnosed of severe PTSD and was medically discharged in 2011. He has since published his autobiography ‘Among You’.