They found that the prevalence of all common mental disorders was 27.2%, and PTSD symptoms, 4.8%. There were no substantial differences in the prevalence of PTSD symptoms between US and UK troops deployed to Iraq, which had been previously found. In UK troops, the most common diagnoses were alcohol abuse (18.0%) and depression/anxiety (13.5%). The data also indicated that reservists who deployed to Iraq are at greater risk of psychiatric injury than regular personnel, thus initiatives in the UK to provide enhanced assistance to reservists are still pertinent.
Dr Iversen concludes: "This research has helped build a detailed picture of the specific heath needs of the UK military. These data should be particularly valuable for health service planners, providers and policy makers."
Notes: The prevalence of common mental disorders and PTSD in the UK military: using data from a clinical interview-based study
Amy C Iversen, Lauren van Staden, Jamie Hacker Hughes, Tess Browne, Lisa Hull, John Hall, Neil Greenberg, Roberto J Rona, Matthew Hotopf, Simon Wessely and Nicola T Fear
Published article available at the journal website: http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpsychiatry/