Out of sight out of mind: an examination of mental health problems in UK military reservists and veterans.

BACKGROUND: Reservists often have different experiences to regular military personnel which may impact their mental health. AIMS: To investigate the incidence of mental health problems in both active and veteran reservists and determine how this compares to regular service personnel and ex-regular veterans. METHOD: Five studies which included reservist and/or veteran participants, a validated assessment of mental health problems, and provided primary data were included in the synthesis. Common mental health disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder were examined. RESULTS: Nondeployed mobilized reservists were significantly less likely to report common mental health disorders than nondeployed regulars. There were no other significant differences between groups. Regardless deployed reservists reported more mental health problems than nondeployed reservists. Similarly, ex-regular deployed veterans were more likely to experience mental health difficulties than nondeployed ex-regular veterans. Notably, a large proportion of non-deployed reservists reported probable alcohol use disorders, indicating that problematic alcohol consumption may not be due to deployment in this group. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the need for ongoing support for military regular, ex-regular and reservist personnel. Additional research is needed to examine potential risk and protective factors for mental health problems in both deployed and nondeployed reservists.Key pointsOverall, mobilized deployed reservists were more likely to experience mental health problems than non-deployed reservists. Nondeployed regulars reported significantly more common mental health problems than nondeployed mobilized reservists.Reservists and (ex-)regulars reported similar rates of PTSD. This suggests reservists are vulnerable to developing PTSD following non-combat related trauma that may not lead to PTSD in regulars and this warrants future research.Reservists were less likely to report problematic alcohol consumption compared to regular personnel and ex-regular veterans. The greatest amount of reservist problematic drinking was reported in non-deployed veteran reservists. This indicates problematic alcohol consumption is not deployment related in this group and highlights the need for ongoing formal support for alcohol use disorders in the UK Armed Forces.

[Eprus, an agency to respond to health emergencies]. / L'Eprus, une agence pour répondre aux crises sanitaires.

The Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Agency (Eprus) was created by the French ministry in charge of the health. It manages on behalf of the state, human, pharmaceutical and logistical resources which can be used in the event of exceptional health situations, in France and abroad.

Voluntary military service for Hungarian people who have lost their job due to the COVID-19 pandemic - A qualitative study.

This qualitative study deals with the military service of people who have lost their job due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to its basic tasks, the Hungarian Defence Forces has been the first to get involved in the Hungarian Government's Economy Protection Action Plan by creating jobs for unemployed citizens. The study was conducted among those who had signed up for the temporarily created special volunteer reservist service aiming to find out what motivated them to choose the military career and what their future ambitions are. After the Grounded Theory analysis of 49 semi-structured interviews, it was found that the special volunteer service provides livelihood and daily routines for those involved but still they have very few plans for the future.

Understanding and managing the health needs of veterans.

Military service has many possible consequences for an individual's health. However, the health needs of veterans are not well understood by healthcare professionals. A veteran may present with overlapping symptoms of mental and physical ill health. Problems such as hazardous levels of alcohol consumption and aggressive behaviour may be evident alongside anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain and disfigurement. Female veterans may present with other complex health issues, such as military sexual trauma. The author suggests that pre-registration curricula for all healthcare professionals should include learning on veterans as a vulnerable patient group. Primary care settings often have first contact with veterans and their families, and every new patient should be asked about their employment history. Collaboration between healthcare professions is vital in assessing and managing the health needs of veterans.