By pre-screening U.S. Army soldiers for mental health issues before entering active duty, the need to hospitalize, backtrack to treat existing disorders and manage healthcare for overseas warriors was diminished.
Five doctors screened 10,678 soldiers part of the 3rd Infantry Division Brigade Teams stationed in Ft. Stewart, Georgia and compared outcomes with divisions that did not have the additional 15 part questionnaire administered.
More than 300 soldiers who received the additional screening were found to have psychiatric behavioral-health disorders as opposed to 1,365 Soldiers from the other brigades who did not receive the screening. Sixty Soldiers who received the extra screening were put on restricted duty due to behavioral-health concerns, as opposed to 186 who did not have the screening.
Combat stress was also minimized. This type of stress is defined as expected and predictable emotional, intellectual, physical, and/or behavioral reactions of Service members who have been exposed to stressful events in war or military operations other than war. Combat stress reactions vary in quality and severity as a function of operational conditions, such as intensity, duration, rules of engagement, leadership, effective communication, unit morale, unit cohesion, and perceived importance of the mission.
This Pre-deployment Mental Health Screening/Care Coordination Program was developed by Army physicians and psychologists who had been searching for a better way to track Soldiers with behavioral health issues.
The study’s questions included for example, “Are you currently taking any medications for a mental health condition?” and “Do you have any past or recent history of suicidal or homicidal thoughts, plans, or attempts?”
Maj. Christopher Warner, an Army staff psychiatrist explains:
“This system shifted away from the traditional mental-health paradigm of attempting to predict future behavior or inability to cope. Rather, the purpose of this process was to ensure that we were not deploying unsafe Soldiers based on present conditions, and ensuring that we were linking those who were deploying with the in-theater assets so that they could stay in the fight. The result is an effective process that enhances Soldier and unit safety. The process is to take the responsibility off the Soldier and not expect them to make the decision to ask for help all over again.”
Col. George Appenzeller further explains that these types of questions concerning Soldiers’ mental health enabled doctors to identify troops who were either not fit to deploy, or who could benefit from a doctor’s supervision while in the field. This changes the course of action from being reactive to preventative.
Appenzeller continues:
“Soldiers who continued care with their primary care providers, just like back home, did better and successfully completed their deployments.”
Maj. Gen. Patricia Horoho, the Army’s deputy surgeon general added:
“We’re excited about what this study shows. It is the first direct evidence that a program is effective in preventing adverse behavioral-health outcomes.”
Source: United States Army
Written By Sy Kraft, B.A.