Britain Limits Deployment to Reduce P.T.S.D. but not the USA

Tracking reports on PTSD across the web often includes reports from other countries. It stuns me when I read about another country ahead of the game because they learned from research begun right here in the US. We've known about the increased risks of PTSD redeployments cause but have not done a thing about correcting the problem. We just keep sending them back over and over again, usually on medication, while expecting a different outcome. The reports keep getting worse on suicides, attempted suicides, crimes, domestic problems and accidents. Kudos to the UK on this one because they've learned from out mistakes.

Britain Limits Deployment to Reduce P.T.S.D.


Mark Phillips is a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a British research group focusing on defense and security issues.

MARCH 20, 2012

The Ministry of Defense tries to manage the impact operations have on its people through "harmony guidelines." For the British army, individuals should deploy for six months at a time and for no more than 12 months in every 3-year period. The guidelines also apply to other personnel deployed on land operations.

Research has shown that personnel who deploy within the guidelines show no ill-effect related to deployment length, except in relation to alcohol intake. On the other hand, spending more than six months away, or having these periods extended unexpectedly, can have adverse effects on health and well-being for both personnel and their families. These effects are even greater for deployments lasting longer than a year, resulting in cumulative stress.

It is interesting that the harmony guidelines contrast with those of the United States Army. The longer deployment of American personnel may contribute to large differences in the prevalence of mental health problems (including operational stress and post-traumatic stress disorder). One study found that personnel who deployed for 13 months or more in three years were more likely to fulfill the criteria for P.T.S.D.
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