Psychiatric Casualties in a Women's Service

Abstract

Little has been written of the war neuroses as they affect the women's Services. From a joint personal experience of nearly 1,000 such cases, we believe that some features of interest arise, and that a brief analysis of our material and of the factors leading to breakdown in this minority of the W.A.A.F. population may have some importance, not only because of the economic and socialissues involved but also in relation to the general theory of the war neuroses. We are unable to give figures showing the respective incidence of psychiatric disability among men and women in the Service, and it seems unlikely that such figures will become available during the war. Many medical officers of mixed units state that there is an appreciably higher incidence in women. The accompanying Table shows the diagnoses in two groups of consecutive psychiatric cases seen. Cases among 250 Cases among 250 Diagnosis Consecutive Airmen Consecutive Airwomen Referred Referred Anxiety states

Battle Exhaustion

“…Slater (1943) in an analysis of the records of 2,000 neurotic soldiers found that 55.7 % of these men had one or more first-degree relatives-parent, sib, or child with definite neurotic illness, psychosis, epilepsy, or some form of psychopathy such as drink, shiftlessness, or violent habits. Ballard and Miller (1945), discussing psychiatric casualties in the R.A.F., found a positive family history in 60% of all cases of both sexes. In the battle exhaustion series information as to family mental history was given in 169 cases, of whom 71.6% had at least one first-degree relative with neurotic traits, psychopathy, psychosis, epilepsy, mental deficiency, or insanity.…”

“…It has been found that the rate of breakdown is low among' the civilian population (Ballard and Miller, 1945), and this is attributed to a better ability to bear strain among familiar surroundings. The rate is also low among submarine crews.…”

Camptocormia

“…male and female military personnel (Ballard, 1945) and being reported in different cultures. Horder (1939) classified ‘¿ war neuroses' in three groups: (a) ‘¿ general concussion reactions' in men without visible wounds (5â€"10%),(b) ‘¿ emotional shock' (acute) reactions (80%), and (c) â€oe¿ nervous and mental exhaustion as a result of prolonged strain and hardship― (10â€"15%), this latter group being close to the current concept of post-traumatic stress disorder.…”