Mental health screening before troop deployment: Is not supported by current evidence

doi:10.1136/bmj.39023.648970.80

BMJ 2006;333:979-980 (11 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.39023.648970.80

Editorials

Mental health screening before troop deployment

Is not supported by current evidence

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The United Kingdom and United States have along history of trying to identify mental health problems amongtroops to be deployed. Since the first world war, a series ofpsychological screening programmes have been implemented, butnone has been successful in providing a more capable combatforce.¹ Nevertheless, there is an understandable interest indeveloping new screening strategies to reduce the psychologicalmorbidity of troops currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.²In this week's issue, Rona and colleagues report the effectsof screening troops for mental health problems before deploymentto Iraq.³

Two major approaches to predeployment screeningexist. The first is to identify troops who are already experiencingdebilitating medical and psychological illnesses just beforedeployment. The advantages of not sending sick troops into aconflict are obvious. These screening programmes are thereforeuseful, provided they accurately identify troops who need healthcare, are cost effective, and do . . . [Full text of this article]

Kenneth Craig Hyams, chief consultant, occupational and environmental health

¹ Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC 20420, USA

Kenneth.Hyams@va.gov

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Predicting mental illness in soldiers: Pre-deployment screening for vulnerability to post- traumatic stress disorder: Ferhal Utku and Ken Checinski
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Utku, F., Checinski, K. (2006). Predicting mental illness in soldiers: Pre-deployment screening for vulnerability to post- traumatic stress disorder. BMJ 333: 1123-1123 [Full text]