Understanding the mental health needs of people leaving the Armed Forces

By Andy Bell The mental health of people returning to civilian life after serving in the Armed Forces has been a major concern for public policy over the last decade. Conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq in particular have raised awareness and understanding of the emotional and psychological challenges some men and women face when they leave the Forces. These concerns have brought about some significant responses, including the development of new and expanded mental health support services for both serving personnel and veterans, from both the NHS and the charitable sector. There has also been a great deal of research seeking to understand the scale and nature of the mental health challenges of service people, veterans and their families. A recent review from the National Centre for Social Research, commissioned by the Forces in Mind Trust, has helpfully brought together a lot of the evidence that is now available into one place. The evidence they have unearthed provides an important picture of what we can currently say from research.
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news