As men’s health awareness month draws to an end, LV= head of distribution quality Adam Davison, speaks to Health & Protection about his experience since being diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, how the mutual’s benefits offering helped and the importance of having support from the firm and his family.
Davison (pictured) relates that he was first diagnosed with PTSD three years ago and then subsequently complex PTSD along with a connected issues around anxiety, depression and OCD.
“Looking back on it, the trauma event that happened is bizarre, partly because it mainly happened within my own imagination, but also partly because one of the symptoms of PTSD is to block or erase memories, so everything is a bit fuzzy on detail,” Davison tells Health & Protection.
“We found out my wife Laura was pregnant on a Thursday, and that evening I cooked us some food. Neither of us had any idea that Laura had been born with a weakness in her intestine wall, which somehow was perforated by the meal I cooked.
“We will never look at a green bean in the same way again. She was hospitalised on the Saturday, but ultimately, Laura and our daughter Percie, were absolutely fine.”
Speaking to a psychiatrist
However, Davison reveals that he somehow convinced himself he had killed both his wife and his daughter.
“The situation probably wasn’t helped by Covid restrictions which meant I could not go and visit Laura in hospital,” Davison continues.
“But after a week she was released I spent the next six to eight weeks unable to remember what was happening during the day, and ultimately realised I needed help.
“I can’t really recall what the final sign was, if Laura had pointed it out to me or not, but I ended up speaking to a psychiatrist, who has been incredible for me.”
Extremely lucky
In terms of support provided by his employer, Davison describes himself as “extremely lucky” to benefit from private medical insurance (PMI) and income protection (IP) through work.
“In practical terms that meant I got the help I needed very quickly,” he adds.
“The support I was given by my manager and colleagues was one of the things that helped me the most.
“Having people that make the effort to keep in contact and support you through things like this is invaluable.”
And it was a PTSD specialist who treated Davison that really made a difference.
“We tried some experimental treatments which helped reduce my panic attacks,” Davison continues.
“I was lucky to have income protection in place, so I didn’t need to worry about the financial impact. Both policies together made a massive difference.
“The IP gave me the space and time to get the help I needed, and the PMI provided the specialist help I needed.”
Returning to work
It was this support that meant Davison could return to work.
“Not to put too fine a point on it, but without getting the help from my psychiatrist and psychotherapists, I’m not sure I would be in a place to return to work,” Davison says.
“I certainly would not have been able to work as quickly and continue to get the help and support to keep working with the condition.
“I don’t think I would have been able to return to work as quickly as I did. My treatment would have taken longer which would have had a much larger strain on my finances.”
Huge advocate for income protection
But Davison’s career to date has also meant he is a “huge” advocate for income protection.
“I also had the same mentality that a lot of people have and thought ‘It won’t happen to me’. I learned it can and does happen to anyone,” he continues.
“The benefits of having that support ‘just in case’ are huge. The biggest thing I learned about myself is that other people and services are there to help and no-one should feel ashamed to ask for help.
“Unfortunately, once you really need this support, it’s too late to take out the cover you need. Make sure you have plans in place and spend the time to speak to someone to make sure the cover you have in place is right.”
Getting better and prioritising family
Looking to the future, while Davison is still undergoing treatment he has managed to return to work fully since October 2021.
“I know I have been incredibly lucky throughout my journey,” he continues.
“My manager at LV= was incredibly supportive both in terms of getting me to seek out help, all the way through the illness and when I returned to work.
“LV= in a wider context helped me a lot. I went through a phased return to work, and my manager was really supportive of my health and checking-in with me.
“Most importantly, I was extremely lucky to be supported by my incredible wife, who had to see me go through some pretty dark times at the same time as being pregnant and giving birth to our amazing daughter.”
Davison moved into a new role within LV= this year and says he is excited by the developments within the business.
“Outside of work, my focus is on continuing to work on getting better and understanding my illness,” he explains.
“I’ve also prioritised spending time with the family and trying to give back some of the support my family and friends have given me over this period.”
