23 Jan Colchester Castle lit up to shine light on veteran’s mental health stigma
During the most gloomiest time of the year Help for Heroes has lit up Colchester Castle in support of those veterans who are delaying asking for psychological support.
This Monday 21st January, (often called “Blue Monday” as its thought to be the most depressing day of the year), saw the Stigma Clock projected onto the Tower of London; switched on by England Rugby World Cup winner and TV star, Matt Dawson.
The garrison town of Colchester, also home to one of four Help for Heroes Recovery Centres, joined this and other projections across the UK tonight; all highlighting the 4-year wait it can often take veterans before they reach out for support.
It comes as new survey results, commissioned by Help for Heroes, reveal that Armed Forces Veterans are delaying asking for help with their mental health (including Post Traumatic Stress) for almost four years. This is partly due to believing civilian services will not understand or support them (28%) and a fear of being treated differently by friends (25%) and family (19%).
One such individual who delayed asking for help is 35 year old Stephen Salmon from Billericay, who has received support from Colchester Recovery Centre. For a decade Stephen battled to keep his mental health issues under wraps.
