VETERANS and military families living with everyday mental health problems are being given help to heal "hidden wounds" thanks to a psychological wellbeing service in Tidworth.

Hidden Wounds is being run by Help for Heroes at its Tedworth House recovery centre, and so far more than 150 veterans or family members have contacted the service since it was launch in September, including Nigel Lihou.

Nigel , 59, was serving in Northern Ireland when he survived a grenade blast and went on to witness one of the most infamous bombings of "The Troubles".

Returning to his former job as a butcher, he says he lived in fear he would come face-to-face with terrorists at any moment and worried about being attacked.

When he was out he says he would obsessively take down number plates and foresee the worst possible outcome in every situation.

Now, Nigel says his life has been turned around after attending sessions with Hidden Wounds, although asking for help was difficult.

“I felt like a fraud,” he said. “I hadn’t had my legs blown off. I’m intact. There are people a lot worse off than me and I didn’t class myself as wounded.”

He was diagnosed with hyper vigilance but says now he no longer counts number plates all the time and is learning to stop imagining that the worst will happen.

“I’m a lot happier. My wife says she can see a big difference. I had a problem I just never realised it. If I had done this earlier, our relationship could’ve been steadier,” he added.

Help for Heroes says there is a commonly held misconception that all veterans facing psychological problems have post-traumatic stress disorder and in fact common challenges of anxiety, stress and depression are more prevalent, which is something it is addressing through Hidden Wounds.

Dr Vanessa Lewis, the head of psychological wellbeing at Help for Heroes, said: “Many people think of wounded or injured servicemen as recovering from IED blasts or fire-fights, but the reality is that many more may need support with everyday mental health problems.

“We want all injured or sick veterans and their families to know they can get help with managing their emotions, sleeplessness and other common psychological wellbeing issues as soon as they need it.”

Support can be accessed by veterans and armed forces families over the phone, Skype or face-to-face. Individuals are taught practical skills to help understand their emotions and learn to positively manage them.

To find out more call 01980 844300 or email hidden.wounds@helpforheroes.org.uk. Alternatively go to helpforheroes.org.uk/hidden-wounds