King's College London

The one-day conference, which was hosted in the offices of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and supported by the Forces in Mind Trust, explored the latest research efforts from experts exploring veteran mental health and wellbeing.

Professor Nicola Fear, Co-Director of the KCMHR said, “We are delighted to be able to hold this event in person again and to being able to connect with colleagues, old and new . It was a pleasure to hear about some of the recent advances in research to support the mental health and wellbeing of the Armed Forces community.”

The was opened with a key note speech by Leo Docherty, the Minister for Defence People and Veterans who said, “The insights shared by academics and researchers are hugely important in helping us to understand how we can enhance our support services for veterans.

“The government, through the Office for Veterans' Affairs, will continue to spearhead work on data and research to better understand veterans' needs across the country.”

The event brought together leading academics, researchers, medical professionals and charities to discuss the key issues in military mental health and was split into four sessions.

The morning was given over to a discussion around the current state of play. Professor Edgar Jones put the current challenges into an historical context, while Kate Davies OBE explored how effectively the NHS is providing mental healthcare to veterans.

Session two provided a series of presentations on the research currently taking place into new forms of therapy to more effectively treat those in need. There were presentation exploring Raid RCT Therapy for PTSD, the use of Virtual reality treatment for mental health disorders, and RTM Therapy for PTSD.

In session three there were presentations on what can be done about moral injury in veterans, how to help them reduce their alcohol consumption, an exploration of suicidality in Northern Irish veterans, and how to make GP practices more veteran friendly.

In the final session there was PhD showcase that was judged by a panel of expert judges.

Professor Neil Greenberg, a Professor of Defence Mental Health at KCMHR and one of the event’s organisers said of the day, "It was a pleasure to be back and meeting people in person. Military personnel, both currently serving and past, are likely to have experienced extremely challenging conditions at times. That's why it's so important that we continue to work with, and for, them to research new and better ways to look after their mental health.

"I'd like to thank everyone that presented at the conference for sharing such interesting research, to colleagues at both the Royal College of Psychiatrists for hosting us, and to the Forces in Mind Trust for all of their support. Without them this event would not have been possible."

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