Chief Petty Officer John Lewis, Founder Males Tales

“When it comes down to mental health issues, I feel that a lot of it can be helped with just breaking that habit of what your brain's been through… If you watched a film and you thought it was rubbish, you wouldn't put it on again, you’d put something else on!”Submariner, John is part of HMND Clyde’s Recovery Cell, looking after the day-to-day lives of people who cannot sail with their unit for serious disciplinary or medical reasons including mental health issues,  “When it comes down to mental health… there's a lot of individuals who… don't want to tell someone of a higher rank, because they feel as if that may get used against them, or it's showing they’re not quite strong enough for the job, or it may harm their career prospects. And on the other hand, some people don't want to talk to people of a lower rank because they think it makes them look weak.” So in 2019, John launched ‘Males Tales’, “…purely for males to come and talk openly and share lived experiences and support each other.” It’s been set up as a Community Interest Company, “The military haven't got an input as such into it. It's not just for military personnel… 40% to 50% of the people who use Males Tales are Serving or Veterans, or families of, but that's purely because of our geographical location. It's totally civilian and there are many people who use the organisation, come to the meetings, who have no connection whatsoever to the military.” A demanding operational period triggered John’s own mental health challenges, “I actually spent 16 days without a minute's sleep... I was prescribed Diazepam and even that wouldn't knock me out.” Although doing much better now, John’s son also suffered with mental health issues,“During the same trip, I was actually pulled back early because my son, who was 8 years old at the time, was self-harming and he was talking about taking his own life… he was diagnosed with Separation Anxiety. He'd have been about 4 1/2 – 5 when I started going away to sea… I'd probably seen him for about 6 months in 3 1/2 years. John’s understanding of mental health issues is also as a result of challenges within his wider family,“I've had family members who've been on the brink of suicide. I've had ones who've had depression and been hospitalised. I think my family's ticked most of the boxes to be fair. And that's given me a good grounding of knowing what's going on out there…” So back to Males Tales, “It's sort of grown arms and legs… we had our first ‘Females Tales’ last week.” “If you sit and listen to someone who has been through an issue… Actually listen to them. HeIf you’re a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help. Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. We’re especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.To find out more contact us.