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Background Research suggests that ex-military personnel are at high risk of developing mental health disorders such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and have been found to underuse mental health services. Research has used quantitative methods focused on barriers to accessing services, with less emphasis on factors that enable veterans to seek support. Objective The aim of this qualitative research study was to explore the experiences of veterans who seek treatment and how they define their experience of 'recovery'. Methods Nine male veterans who had completed a six-week Intensive Treatment Programme at Combat Stress participated in the study. Qualitative data was collected using semi-structured interviews and was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results Four key themes emerged: (1) discovering PTSD: 'breaking the silence', 'experiences of diagnosis' and 'normalisation and containment', (2) engaging with PTSD: 'preconceptions and the challenges of military identity' and 'accepting PTSD', (3) a road to recovery: 'a shared experience of PTSD', 'finding me again' and 'adjusting to civvy street' and (4) maintaining and rebuilding: 'owning your PTSD', 'tackling PTSD in everyday life' and 'managing social relationships'. Conclusions This study highlights the importance of treatment, an Multi-Disciplinary Team approach and of psychological input for veterans with PTSD. In addition, the experience of being treated within a cohort, provides a familiar framework of treatment to veterans and which had a therapeutic effect in their recovery journey.

Objective: Combat Stress, a UK national charity for veterans with mental health problems, has been funded by the National Health Service (NHS) to provide a national specialist service to deliver treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This paper reports the efficacy of a PTSD treatment programme for UK veterans at 6 months follow-up. Design: A within subject design. Setting: UK veterans with a diagnosis of PTSD who accessed Combat Stress. Participants: 246 veterans who received treatment between late 2012 and early 2014. Intervention: An intensive 6-week residential treatment programme, consisting of a mixture of individual and group sessions. Participants were offered a minimum of 15 individual trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy sessions. In addition, participants were offered 55 group sessions focusing on psychoeducational material and emotional regulation. Main outcome measures: Clinicians completed measures of PTSD and functional impairment and participants completed measures of PTSD, depression, anger and functional impairment. Results: We observed significant reductions in PTSD scores following treatment on both clinician completed measures (PSS-I: -13.0, 95% CI -14.5 to -11.5) and self-reported measures (Revised Impact of Events Scale (IES-R): -16.5, 95% CI -19.0 to -14.0). Significant improvements in functional impairment were also observed (eg, Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HONOS): -6.85, 95% CI -7.98 to -5.72). There were no differences in baseline outcomes between those who completed and those who did not complete the programme, or post-treatment outcomes between those we were able to follow-up at 6 months and those lost to follow-up. Conclusions: In a naturalistic study we observed a significant reduction in PTSD scores and functional impairment following treatment. These improvements were maintained at 6 month follow-up. Our findings suggest it may be helpful to take a closer look at combining individual trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy and group sessions when treating veterans with PTSD. This is the first UK study of its kind, but requires further evaluation.

OBJECTIVES: Military-related trauma can be difficult to treat. Evaluating longer term responses to treatment and identifying which individuals may need additional support could inform clinical practice. We assessed 1-year outcomes in UK veterans treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). DESIGN: Within-participant design. SETTING: The intervention was offered by Combat Stress, a mental health charity for veterans in the UK. PARTICIPANTS: The sample included 401 veterans who completed a standardised 6-week residential treatment. Of these, 268 (67%) were successfully followed up a year after the end of treatment. METHODS: A range of health outcomes were collected pretreatment and repeated at standard intervals post-treatment. The primary outcome was severity of PTSD symptoms, and secondary outcomes included measures of other mental health difficulties (depression, anxiety and anger), problems with alcohol, and social and occupational functioning. RESULTS: Significant reductions in PTSD severity were observed a year after treatment (PSS-I: -11.9, 95% CI -13.1 to -10.7). Reductions in the secondary outcomes were also reported. Higher levels of post-treatment functional impairment (0.24, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.41) and alcohol problems (0.18, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.32) were associated with poorer PTSD treatment response at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: This uncontrolled study suggests the longer term benefits of a structured programme to treat UK veterans with PTSD. Our findings point to the importance of continued support targeted for particular individuals post-treatment to improve longer term outcomes.