https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/health/ex-soldier-cant-watch-tv-31812562

A former soldier who served in Northern Ireland says the Irish accent gives him "anxiety attacks" which make shopping and watching TV "impossible". Adrian Pearson, 53, served in the British Army for nine years and was discharged in 1997 following a PTSD diagnosis.

He completed four tours in Northern Ireland with the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards. He "came under fire multiple times" and was shot at by snipers and injured by shotgun blasts from 20 feet away. The former guardsman found no support network when he left the military with an exemplary record – and since then has suffered with "recurring nightmares" that have left him "unable to watch TV or shop without anxiety spikes."

Adrian described the disorder as "unpredictable" and says he has to be careful with loud bangs or anything resembling his time in the army – including Irish accents, the nation's flag, or St Patrick's Day – which are "common triggers". To aid his recovery, Adrian aims to complete various endurance challenges organised by the Help for Heroes charity – already conquering the Yorkshire Three Peaks and the gruelling Burma Trek.

He has since raised over £40,000 for the charity and is pushing to hit his £50,000 target. Adrian, who’s also been diagnosed with type two diabetes and arthritis, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, said: "I was involved in a string of incidents in my first tour – and I was left traumatised. I've had lots of recurring nightmares and I struggle with loud bangs such as fireworks and party poppers.

"It's been debilitating socially as my symptoms have become unpredictable. I often avoid sitting next to people on public transport and I've left the supermarket midway through shopping before. Anything that reminds me of my time in Northern Ireland – whether that be accents or St Patrick's Day – is a trigger.

"I'm fundraising so soldiers of today can have the support I didn’t.”

Adrian joined the army at the age of 16 and seven days – and was the youngest soldier in the British Army ever, in 1988. "I thought it was the most noble thing a man could do," he said. "Both my grandparents served and they inspired me."

During these tours, he was involved in several incidents. "On my very first patrol, I came under fire and two rounds narrowly passed between me and my officer," he said. "Then I was involved in a string of incidents in my first tour.

"In one of them, I had a shotgun fired at me from 20 ft away and it hit my helmet and body armour. But I was just a bit too far out of range for it to penetrate."

Adrian served under fire in East Tyrone, South Armagh, Londonderry and Belfast. Eventually, he developed PTSD and was discharged in 1997. He said: "It's unpredictable, you've got the daytime symptoms and the night time symptoms. When they're strong, it can all roll into one. You can go through months at a time in a bad mood.

“People around me kept noticing that I changed."

He said that if he was in earshot of an Irish accent, he had to move away to avoid an anxiety spike. The 53-year-old would also opt for a trolley during shopping trips to shield himself from other people. "I've got to be careful what I watch on TV," he added.

"I can't watch films and iPlayer and YouTube because I don't know what's going to be on next. I kept having this nightmare that people were breaking into my house or me having to open fire. It took its toll on me and requires constant management."

To help focus on recovery, Adrian has taken on endurance challenges – including the Yorkshire Three Peaks, The Burma Trek and walking the length of Hadrian's Wall – and has since raised £40,000 for Help for Heroes charity. It also follows his recent diagnoses of arthritis and type 2 diabetes.

"A physiotherapist noticed signs of it in my right knee three years ago," he said. "Now it has spread to both my knees, hips, ankles and fingers. It’s really painful,” he added.

“But I’ll motor on through anyway. I like challenges that push me out of my comfort zone,” he said.

“My service made me that way. I find fundraising gives me a goal and something to focus on instead of my PTSD and mental health.

"It helped me transition from military service and not shy away from the world.”

If you are interested in joining Adrian on a Heroes Hike, visit https://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/give-support/fundraising-events/heroes-hikes/.

by eoghan697

31 comments

  1. > says he has to be careful with loud bangs or anything resembling his time in the army – **including Irish accents, the nation’s flag, or St Patrick’s Day – which are “common triggers”**

    Sorry, but that’s hilarious.

  3. Wouldn’t be the first British soldier to Trigger upon hearing an Irish accent

  6. PTSD and veteran help is a complex and serious issue but going by the headline alone that doesn’t appear to be strongly on the writers agenda, imo this is just rage bait.

  8. BT seem to be concentrating on the damage caused by NI to the soldier, but the actual issue raised is that this guy was demobbed without any proper diagnosis, treatment, or support from the British state. If you’re going to send young lads out to be shot at, then the least you could do is provide doctors for them afterwards.

  9. Putting my Republicanism aside… Don’t join the fucking army, ’cause if you get PTSD they won’t give a shit and you’ll still have the rest of your life to live. So many stories of people being thrown to the dogs when they leave and it’ll never change.

  10. Awlk God think of the poor colonizer!

    To think an occupying force would encounter some kind of resistance- we should have just laid down and let them kill us because now I feel bad that they got PSTD from their campaign of terror.

  11. I’m from here, and any time I hear a local accent on TV I feel the same!

  12. Maybe there should be a higher limit on the minimum age requirement. Something that has a better chance of being mature enough to realise what you’re being trained to do, and the realities of war.

  16. love the idea of him overhearing some premium belfast smick in the street and just having a panic attack over it

    same tbf

  17. Leaving aside any points I want to make about how soldiers who sign up to suppress people in the name of empire deserve little sympathy to begin with, I’m going to hazard a guess that he has received next to no help or support from the British army or government to help him cope with whatever trauma it is he has?

    There’s a lesson in all that to current and future British soldiers that the establishment will chew you up and spit you out at the best of times and if you happen to end up involved in an embarrassing/dirty conflict you’re going to be swept under the carpet and forgotten about.

  18. Worth remembering the military deliberately targets impressionable and often damaged young men so they can shape them in their image. They then teach them not to think, only to obey. Introduce to that the trauma of any type of conflict and it’s no wonder people turn out like this.

  19. Poor chap, he should never have been here and neither should any of his countrymen, this is HMgovt fault for putting these working class young English men in harms way. The British state strikes once again.

  20. What’s that there Frankie Boyle quote – Not only will the yanks come to your country and kill all your people, but 20 years later they’ll make a film about how killing all your people made their soldiers sad

  21. Oh no! He signed up to victimise a particular ethnic group and they shot back?? How dare they???

  22. >To aid his recovery, Adrian aims to complete various endurance challenges organised by the Help for Heroes charity – already conquering the Yorkshire Three Peaks and the gruelling Burma Trek.

    Imagine he reaches the summit and there’s a tricolour up there

  23. Aw diddums – keep them party poppers under wraps folks!

  24. I’d wager he feels no empathy towards any of us that had to live here throughout.

  25. What a fucking joke. Scared of an Irish accent or anything Irish.

    He does not care about any of his victims and he joins an army that disposes of it’s soldiers once they’re no more use.

  27. ![gif](giphy|13A7YlLvYVDnmU)

    Aww, let me play you a song on the worlds smallest violin

  28. Sucks that he was suckered in to a colonial army at the young age of 16, I didn’t know my ass from my elbow at that age either. Unfortunately that’s about as far as my sympathy goes.

  29. “Our revenge will be the sounds of our accents of the television.”

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