Military veterans and civilians’ mental health diagnoses: an analysis of secondary mental health services

Abstract

Purpose Healthcare provision in the United Kingdom (UK) falls primarily to the National Health Service (NHS) which is free at the point of access. In the UK, there is currently no national marker to identify military veterans in electronic health records, nor a requirement to record it. This study aimed to compare the sociodemographic characteristics and recorded mental health diagnoses of a sample of veterans and civilians accessing secondary mental health services. Methods The Military Service Identification Tool, a machine learning computer tool, was employed to identify veterans and civilians from electronic health records. This study compared the sociodemographic characteristics and recorded mental health diagnoses of veterans and civilians accessing secondary mental health care from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK. Data from 2,576 patients were analysed; 1288 civilians and 1288 veterans matched on age and gender. Results Depressive disorder was the most prevalent across both groups in the sample (26.2% veterans, 15.5% civilians). The present sample of veterans accessing support for mental health conditions were significantly more likely to have diagnoses of anxiety, depressive, psychosis, personality, and stress disorders (AORs ranging 1.41–2.84) but less likely to have a drug disorder (AOR = 0.51) than age- and gender-matched civilians. Conclusion Veterans accessing secondary mental health services in South London had higher risks for many mental health problems than civilians accessing the same services. Findings suggest that military career history is a key consideration for probable prognosis and treatment, but this needs corroborating in other geographical areas including national population-based studies in the UK.

“The Best Place to Be a Veteran” (?): An Examination of the Current Veteran Experience Within the United Kingdom

“…Common mental health disorders are similarly prevalent within the civilian population of the UK, albeit at a lower rate: 16% of the general population experience depression or anxiety compared to the 20% of the veteran population (Williamson et al, 2023). Equally, true prevalence rates are unknown, and there seems to be a lack of direct comparison between the mental health of UK veterans and the UK general population (Williamson et al, 2023).…”

A Retrospective Cohort Analysis of Mental Health-Related Emergency Department Visits Among Veterans and Non-Veterans Residing in Ontario, Canada: Une analyse de cohorte rétrospective des visites au service d’urgence liées à la santé mentale parmi les vétérans et non-vétérans résidant en Ontario, Canada

“…Exposure to potentially psychologically traumatic events while employed in military careers can lead to the development or exacerbation of mental health (MH) concerns. 1 – 4 Military veterans in the United States (US), Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), and Australia are more likely to experience depressive and anxiety disorders than members of the general population 5 – 11 ; however, the risk of adverse MH outcomes may vary by nation, sex, and length of service. For example, female veterans may differentially experience psychologically traumatic military-related events, such as military sexual trauma, compared to their male counterparts, 12 potentially leading to higher rates of MH conditions 13 – 15 and mental healthcare (MHC) use 15 , 16 ; while early service-leavers have been shown to have a greater risk of MH disorders than individuals who serve for longer periods.…”