Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Liam Fox (Conservative) on Wednesday, 17 January 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 19 January 2007. It was answered by Derek Twigg (Labour) on Tuesday, 30 January 2007 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Service Personnel: Medical Conditions

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many (a) regular servicemen and (b) reserve servicemen have been assessed on return from theatre in Iraq and Afghanistan as having psychiatric problems;
Answer

The following table shows the annual numbers of UK service personnel (regular and reservists) who deployed to Iraq on Operation Telic and were diagnosed by the Defence Medical Services at a Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) with a mental health condition thought to be related to their deployment. It is not possible to give an annual breakdown of the figures for 2003 and 2004, nor do we differentiate between regulars and reserves.

2003-04 2005 2006 (to 30 June) Total
PTSD 93 115 70 278
Adjustment disorder 438 258 133 829
Mood disorder 113 157 71 341
Neurotic disorders 87 76 23 186
Psychoactive substance misuse 55 72 39 166
Other diagnoses 38 39 20 97
Total 824 714 356 1,897

The figures do not include any personnel who have received treatment for a mental health condition since leaving the armed forces. This is because on leaving the armed forces, or on demobilisation for reservists, it is the long established practice that responsibility for medical care passes to the NHS. To collate figures on medical treatment received by every veteran would require an examination of the records of every NHS trust (and every independent healthcare provider) in the country and could therefore be done only at disproportionate cost.We currently only collate these figures for Iraq. However, at a time when personnel have been deployed to other operational theatres before or after deployment to Iraq (including to Afghanistan), it is becoming increasingly difficult to attribute a subsequent mental health condition (which in some cases might not present itself until some time after the person’s deployment ends) to service on a specific deployment. The Department is currently, therefore, reviewing its methods of collating figures on service personnel diagnosed with a mental health condition. I will write to the hon. Gentleman when the work is complete.Finally, as I announced in this House on 20 November 2006, the MOD’s Reserves Mental Health Programme has since that date been providing an assessment and treatment programme for demobilised reservists at the Reserve Training and Mobilisation Centre (RTMC), Chilwell. The numbers of reservists, GPs or third parties contacting RTMC has been very low. As at 19 January 2007, a total of seven assessments had been booked, and, of those assessed so far, two cases referred for treatment at one of MOD’s Defence Community Mental Health centres.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
117294; 456 c155-6W
Session
2006-07
Related items
Mental Health Statistics
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Written statements
House of Commons
Armed Forces: Mental Health
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Written statements
House of Lords
Subjects
Armed forces Mental illness Mental health
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk