The impact of the conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan: A UK perspective

Abstract

Concerns about the mental health of military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan has led to a new generation of research. This review is an examination of the UK literature on the mental health consequences of deployment of armed forces personnel to Iraq and Afghanistan. As yet, deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan has not been associated with a general increase in mental health problems for the UK Armed Forces. However, research has highlighted certain problems that continue to need to be addressed. Whilst, the rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is low in the UK Armed Forces (1.6–6%), deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan is associated with an increased risk of PTSD for reserve personnel. In contrast to PTSD, the rate of alcohol misuse is high in the UK Armed Forces (between 16–20%), and has been associated with deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan for regular personnel. As the UK military engagement in Afghanistan continues and more personnel are deployed, the demand for help from military health services, the NHS and the service charities will increase.

Declaration of interest: All authors are based at King's College London which, for the purpose of military-related studies, receives funding from the UK Ministry of Defence. Simon Wessely is Honorary Civilian Consultant Adviser in Psychiatry to the British Army and a Trustee of Combat Stress, a UK charity that provides services and support for veterans with mental health problems.