Actor and broadcaster Ross Kemp struck the “negative portrayal” in dramas of soldiers with mental health issues.
The 57-year-old said stereotypes on television, in films and in the wider media have a profound effect on current and former military personnel, especially those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Kemp, who became a household name as EastEnders hardman Grant Mitchell, who had PTSD, is supporting a campaign by the military charity Help for Heroes to change the portrayal of veterans on screen.
He told the PA news agency: “(Stereotypes) have a real negative impact on people who have served their country.
“They are brave enough to come forward and admit they have a problem, which is often very difficult for people.
“Drama obviously needs drama, otherwise it is not interesting.
“But there seems to be an ongoing portrayal of service personnel with mental health issues that often lead to negative outcomes.”
Help for Heroes said TV shows and movies are not expected to be completely without dramatic moments involving members of the armed forces, but rather provide context using “trigger warnings” when there is an exaggerated depiction of veteran mental health , and a “broader, more representative spectrum” of storylines.
People who suffer from and deal with mental health issues are highly valued members of society
Kemp, who won the best Bafta series of facts for Ross Kemp On Gangs in 2006, said: “Please do not discount these people.
“As soon as you see PTSD, there is an image that automatically forms in your head of someone hiding under the bed or camouflaging at night, and that is not the truth – it is an image that has been continued in dramas.
“And we want to get away from it and show you what the reality is, namely that people who suffer from mental health issues and deal with them are very valued members of society.”
Veterans said they had trouble getting mortgages, were overlooked for civilian jobs, and were even kicked out of dating sites after revealing they had a PTSD diagnosis.
Jay Saunders, a former Lieutenant Commander of the Royal Navy with PTSD, described the characterization of conscripts and women as often “lazy stereotyping”.
The 53-year-old, from Gosport in Hampshire, said: “The general public when they hear of PTSD and add ‘veteran’ is the first thing they think of violence.
“My PTSD came from humanitarian aid. I was not even armed (on deployment in Sierra Leone).
“But the label is’ You’re military, that’s why you killed, and when you flash back, you’ve going to kill again.”
He said PTSD actually brought unexpected positive things, including giving him greater empathy, and forming an archery community for wounded and sick veterans.
Trevor Cowell, 39, who served in the Army for nearly two decades at units including the Royal Army Medical Corps, said: “All you want is for people to see you in a positive light because you feel still that you represent your .pe badge.
“But the negative image encourages you to be even more insular, because if that’s what people automatically think about PTSD, then you do not want to discuss it with people.
“When you say you were in a car accident and you have PTSD, I think people treat you more sympathetically than when you have PTSD because you are in the power, and I would like that misconception to change.”