RSL presidents calls on veterans to address their mental health

A veteran of two wars and a mental breakdown, Toowoomba RSL president Scott May says the Royal Commission into veteran’s suicides will not tell us anything we don’t already know.

More than 400 serving and former Australian Defence Force personnel have killed themselves in the past 20 years.

The Federal Government’s decision to hold a Royal Commission into veteran and serving Australian Defence Force personnel suicides has garnered a mixed response from the people it seeks to help.

Toowoomba RSL sub-branch president Scott May called on veterans to take charge of their own mental rehabilitation and not wait for a redundant commission.

“We are past the point of the recognising the problems and we need to start rectifying the problems,” he said.

“We should be focusing our energy on assisting the people who need assistance rather than on an inquiry looking at why they need assistance.”

Toowoomba RSL president Scott May called on veterans to take charge of their mental health. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the royal commission on Monday, noting there had been more than 400 known veteran suicide cases since 2001.

This was compared to the 41 ADF personnel that died in the 20-year Afghanistan conflict.

Mr May knows first-hand how mental illness affects returned servicemen and women, being a veteran or both Afghanistan and Iraq Wars.

He said the key to addressing the issue was in deprogramming the hyper-aggressive mindset drilled into new recruits.

“The mental health issues don’t come from seeing the horrors of war, they come from the mindset needed to be an effective soldier, sailor or airman,” he said.

“Defence needs you to understand that you are better than everyone else, you are the cut of the crop, that you are stronger than your enemy.”

That training overpowers a soldier’s fight or flight reflex, so that they will charge into battle even if the odds are against them.

“When a person is discharged, they lose sight of the reasoning as to why they have that mindset,” Mr May said.

“It took me a good 18 months to understand that I am an average person and just another member of the community.”

Seven years after Mr May was discharged he had a mental breakdown from which he is still recovering.

In that time, he said the Department of Veteran Affairs has been overwhelmingly supportive.

But to get help he needed to ask for it first – a feat that is made more difficult if you have been programmed to think you are stronger, healthier and more destructive than the average citizen.

“Veterans need to pony up and admit they have a problem,” Mr May said.

“There are more than 4000 veteran associations in the community, and most are benevolent organisations that exist to help.”

Defence support services

The Defence 24-hour Support Line: 1800 628 036

Open Arms: 1800 011 046

Soldier On: 1300 620 380

Lifeline Crisis Support: 13 11 14

Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636

MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78