Army Mental Health Figures 'Implausible', Says MP
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Questions were being asked today about the quality of mental health support being provided for soldiers in Afghanistan. Dr John Pugh MP, who is conducting an investigation into the issue, says that he is 'deeply concerned at the picture the statistics paint'.Some key findings uncovered so far include:
The incidence of mental health problems among the military is lower than the rate for the population as a whole.
Soldiers in Iraq were four times as likely to be referred to the mental health team as soldiers in Afghanistan - despite the disparities in the number of casualties, and the number of troops deployed in the two theatres.
- 30% of US troops and 13% of Canadian troops have mental problems identified via active screening. No figures are available for UK troops as no such screening takes place.
- There is no routine assessment of the mental health of personnel returning from operations, apart from those who have received serious injuries.
- The self-completed questionnaires used for screening are imprecise and open to manipulation according to recent research. Other coalition partners with smaller deployed forces undertake one-to-one interviews with personnel following deployment.
- Mental health support for Soldiers in Afghanistan is provided through just three Community Mental Health Nurses.
- There is inconsistent access to non-medical stress management processes on return to the UK for Reserves; personnel who deploy individually rather than as part of a unit; or for those who move units following deployment.
Dr Pugh put his concerns to Sir Bill Jeffrey, the top civil servant at the MOD, asking him to explain what he describes as 'a catalogue of disparities'. He put it to Sir Bill that the figures indicated that 'in the confines of Committee Room 15 we are apparently far more vulnerable to mental health stress than people in the operational theatre of war – something I find highly implausible'.
The MoD chief agreed that 'it is undoubtedly an issue to ensure that mental health problems are identified', before admitting that there was still a 'stigma' attached to issues of mental health that could be preventing soldiers coming forward. Dr Pugh is now emphasising the need for 'the full picture' to be revealed: "The sacrifices our servicemen and women are making in Afghanistan should never be understated. It is crucial therefore that they are receiving the support they need, and that after performing such a great service to our country they are able to continue with their lives.
"Compared to the Americans and the Canadians, many of our troops are not receiving the care and attention they need after they return home. We're not paying enough attention to what happens to soldiers in the long-term, and the consequences could be disastrous.
"That the man in the street is more likely to suffer from mental health issues than the man in the trenches is something many will find very hard to accept.