Abstract
BackgroundThe mental health of the Armed Forces is an important issue of both academic and public interest. The aims of this study are to: a) assess the prevalence and risk factors for common mental disorders and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, during the main fighting period of the Iraq War (TELIC 1) and later deployments to Iraq or elsewhere and enlistment status (regular or reserve), and b) compare the prevalence of depression, PTSD symptoms and suicidal ideation in regular and reserve UK Army personnel who deployed to Iraq with their US counterparts.MethodsParticipants were drawn from a large UK military health study using a standard two phase survey technique stratified by deployment status and engagement type. Participants undertook a structured telephone interview including the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) and a short measure of PTSD (Primary Care PTSD, PC-PTSD). The response rate was 76% (821 participants).ResultsThe weighted prevalence of common mental disorders and PTSD symptoms was 27.2% and 4.8%, respectively. The most common diagnoses were alcohol abuse (18.0%) and neurotic disorders (13.5%). There was no health effect of deploying for regular personnel, but an increased risk of PTSD for reservists who deployed to Iraq and other recent deployments compared to reservists who did not deploy. The prevalence of depression, PTSD symptoms and subjective poor health were similar between regular US and UK Iraq combatants.ConclusionThe most common mental disorders in the UK military are alcohol abuse and neurotic disorders. The prevalence of PTSD symptoms remains low in the UK military, but reservists are at greater risk of psychiatric injury than regular personnel.
Highlights
The mental health of the Armed Forces is an important issue of both academic and public interest
The final sample consisted of 821 participants
In common with our previous study [9], we found a higher prevalence of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in reserve personnel who deployed on TELIC 1 or other recent non-TELIC deployments when compared to non-deployed reservists
Summary
The mental health of the Armed Forces is an important issue of both academic and public interest. It has been shown to be an essential factor in the retention and productivity of military personnel [1] and increases the chance of social exclusion for those who leave the Armed Forces [2,3]. It is likely that these personnel are at increased risk of operational stress injury but detailed clinical data about the specific heath needs of those who have deployed is lacking in the UK. These data are important for health service planners, providers and policy makers. Collected data based on presentation to health care providers is problematic, since many are reluctant to disclose mental disorders within the military environment [7,8]
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