Special Forces are mounting an operation to end mental illness stigma and stop suicides.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace revealed the Special Boat Service’s mission after the inquest into PTS sufferer Cpl Alex Tostevin.
Decorated Cpl Tostevin, 28, was found dead at home – the third elite commando to have died from suicide since 2018.
Tory Mr Wallace wrote to the inquest coroner saying the SBS is now actively trying to remove mental health stigma and has a new policy of managing vulnerable personnel.
And he said a Defence Suicide Register is being planned as part of a suicide prevention strategy.
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He wrote: “I recognise there is more work to be done within the SBS and across the Special Forces.
“Men in general have been shown to delay seeking help due to lack of insight, stigma and fear that disclosure of their personal circumstances will be seen as a sign of weakness and/or have an adverse effect on their career.”
In 2022 at least eight members of the armed forces are believed to have taken their own lives.
Friends of Cpl Tostevin, raised in Guernsey, told his inquest he had been drinking heavily and racking up large debts.
Coroner Brendan Allen said an email from a welfare officer about a sharp decline in his mental health was not picked up, which was a “missed opportunity”.
Cpl Tostevin’s family believe he developed PTSD while he served with the Royal Marines in Afghanistan in 2010.
His mum Alison said he was “asking for help for a long time and as a family we feel he was failed”.
She added: “We hope more members of the forces will talk about mental health – Alex wouldn’t want anyone else to suffer as he did.”
Ex-Army Warrant Officer and veterans’ mental health campaigner Jim Wilde said: “Finally, the defence secretary has admitted more work needs to be done. This is the case right across the military.”
The Sunday People ’s Save Our Soldiers campaign is calling for a radical reform of the way the military handles mental health.
The MoD said: “Every suicide is a tragedy. We are firmly committed to the wellbeing of serving personnel.”
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