Military veterans' suicide study finds more support needed

A new study into the suicides of military veterans has found much more mental health support is needed for those in the armed services. The BBC spoke to its researchers and the bereaved families who helped shape it.

Kingsman Ben Riches was 30 years old when he took his own life.

He had wanted to join the army from a very young age and his bedroom was covered in military posters, his parents Carolyn and Kev Riches said.

In 2006, at the age of 16, he fulfilled his dreams by joining the army foundation college at Harrogate, which he "absolutely loved", before going to Catterick for infantry training.

Army life was at the heart of his family.

On a tour of Iraq, he and his older brother Steve were the first two brothers in 60 years to serve together in a conflict zone in the same regiment in the same company.

It was on Kgn Riches' return from that tour that his family, from Garstang in Lancashire, started to suspect there were problems.

His drinking was increasing and he was exhibiting unusual behaviour.

"There was an occasion Carolyn was woken up in the middle of the night," Mr Riches' father recalled. "Ben was in the toilet washing his hands and he was asleep.

"And he was saying 'I've got to wash the blood off my hands, I've got to wash the blood off my hands'."

Mrs Riches said her son was "burning his hands under the tap".

If you are experiencing any difficulties or want more information, support can be found through the BBC'S Action Line

Things only got worse after a tour of Afghanistan.

"He really changed," Mr Riches said. "In Ben's own words, Iraq was a 'walk in the park' compared to Afghanistan."

Mrs Riches said: "We didn't get Ben back after Afghanistan."

His behaviour became more worrying and his dad asked for help from senior officers at Catterick.

"I was told there was nothing they can do unless he goes and asks for help himself," Mr Riches said. "Back in those days that was the last thing a soldier would do."

His son was medically discharged from the army and struggled to engage with mental health services. He died in 2019.

His parents were among more than 20 families of deceased veterans to contribute to the One Is Too Many study, a research project carried out by The Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research at Northumbria University.

The study, said to be the first of its kind, concluded an urgent review of the mental health support for veterans was needed.

It interviewed hundreds of families describing disjointed, overstretched and inconsistent mental health services as well as a lack of understanding of military life and personnel.

Researchers said the aim of the study was not to apportion blame, but to find out why veterans were slipping through the net, and help to create a "safety blanket" instead to protect them.

Project leader Dr Paul Watson said there was a "lack of communication between organisations".

"But there's also a lack of communication between organisations and families," he added.

"So there is no kind of joined up working in terms of how we support a person to navigate the system, to enable them to continue to be engaged in care and receive the care that they need.

"The crux of it is, if we want to save lives, then families need to be involved."

The government said it would review the university's research and "continue to work to ensure veterans can access the right support".

A spokesperson said: "We also published a new five-year Suicide Prevention Strategy for England in 2023 which sets out over 130 actions, including for veterans, that will be taken to reduce the suicide rate in England."

Kgn Riches' family felt there was also a lack of understanding among medical professionals that destructive behaviours, like drinking, could be a result of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Mrs Riches said her son "could come across as being aggressive, but he wasn't being aggressive".

"He was trying to mask his vulnerability and our caregivers don't recognise that because they are not trained or educated in dealing with the veterans," she said.

"If people had listened to us when we were saying that we had these problems with Ben, then maybe, he might still be here."

Like Kgn Riches, Mark Rodhouse joined the army at a young age.

He loved fitness, and enjoyed cycling. He snowboarded and skied within the army at championship levels.

His wife Sharon Rodhouse, from Penrith in Cumbria, said he was a "lovely" father and grandfather who was great with people, always willing to give his time.

But, after returning from his second tour of Iraq, he started to show signs of anxiety.

"He wasn't well," Mrs Rodhouse said. "He'd found the sense of responsibility difficult.

"I have a vague memory of him saying that he was going to be posted somewhere that probably meant he would have to go back out to Iraq again.

"And then he had a breakdown."

After 18 years of service, Sgt Rodhouse was medically discharged in 2005 due in part to his anxiety.

Mrs Rodhouse said her husband found it difficult to talk about.

"I think he was ashamed of the medical discharge," she said. "It's the veteran's mindset of not wanting to be seen to be weak, to be letting the side down."

In 2023, some 18 years after leaving the military, Mr Rodhouse took his own life at the age of 53.

He had told mental health professionals he had suicidal thoughts but said he did not intend to act on them, although he knew how.

Mrs Rodhouse said: "I think this is quite important actually with a veteran, when they plan to do something they're going to do it.

"I know we can never say for certain that it wasn't going to happen, but there were so many missed opportunities. I have to live with that."

Mrs Rodhouse said she hoped the study would help prevent further deaths.

"If the voices become loud enough, it can only work for good," she said. "It needs to be taken really seriously because the consequences are huge, for everybody."

The British Army said its thoughts remained with the family and friends of Ben Riches and that it had improved the support provided to "enable our people to recognise the signs of mental health distress in themselves and in others, and to encourage them to seek help earlier".

Follow BBC North East on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.