10/07/2026
A very poignant documentary from former England defender Terry Butcher highlighting how his son suffered from PTSD. It's a compelling watch and informative on how veterans are treated in the mental health services.
Terry Butcher has shared the devastating story of his son Christopher's battle with PTSD after serving in Iraq, and how the system failed him when he needed help most.
Christopher served in Iraq with the British Army. He survived. Many of his mates didn't. And that destroyed him.
He had two voices in his head. One was a civilian girl from Iraq. The other was a sergeant-major figure, constantly berating him.
"A sergeant-major figure, berating him and telling him how useless he was, why did he survive, how can he hold his head up when his mates have died. Really, deeply negative. And that was with him all the time."
Something happened in Iraq involving a little girl. Christopher carried survivor's guilt. He didn't feel lucky to have survived. He felt he should have died.
"He didn't feel lucky to have survived. He said he should have died. When he went out there he told himself he wasn't coming back. He was going to be totally committed, and he was."
Terry and his wife tried everything to get Christopher help. Combat Stress and Help for Heroes assessed him but said his condition was too complex and too severe. They couldn't take him on.
"We didn't have any help for him and that was the saddest thing. We're not experts, we're not carers, and he's our son. We couldn't help our son."
Christopher was referred to the NHS. They tried their best. But nobody had military experience. Nobody understood what he was going through.
"The number of nights we cried because we couldn't get help, the number of times we've broken down."
Christopher took his own life in 2017. He was 35 years old. The system failed him.
