Navy veteran Dave received our support after an incident onboard a submarine caused many years of mental health problems. “I thought I was keeping everything well-hidden because I could hold down a job. I still had nightmares and flashbacks, but I convinced myself they were normal. I was a very angry, irritable person.

Eventually, pressures are work took their toll on Dave’s mental health. “I spent four months lying on the couch, not able to do anything. I isolated myself from everyone and I became agoraphobic. I was caught in a cycle of guilt and shame, telling myself I had no right to feel the way I did because I hadn’t seen action or lost a limb.”

After Dave’s wife Mairi made him visit his GP, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and he began treatment with Combat Stress. “It wasn’t until I spoke to the clinical staff at Combat Stress that I realised how broken I was. Mairi had seen a difference in me from the day of the incident. But she stuck by me, regardless. Talking about what I’d been through for the first time felt like a giant weight had been lifted. I realised that what I’d been feeling wasn’t my fault. Combat Stress put me back together. I now feel proud of the life I’ve had and I can look forward to the life I have with Mairi and the family we’ve created together.“