Key indicators for mental disorders in officers of the Armed Forces of Russia (2003–2015)

Relevance. There have been made some reorganizations in the Armed Forces of Russia lately (changes in the staff structure, enhancing the image of the officers, increasing officer’s salaries and military pension), which could affected the mental health of military personnel. Intention. The aim of our study was to determine the medical-statistical characteristics of mental health in officers of the Armed Forces of Russia as the most combat-capable unit. Methods. The research presents the stastical analysis of mental disorders in officers of the Armed Forces of Russia during the last 13 years (2003–2015). Results and Discussion. The annual average general morbidity (negotiability) of officers with mental disorders was (8.21 ± 0.86) ‰, the primary morbidity rate – (2.73 ± 0.13) ‰, the dynamic level of dispensary observation – (1.29 ± 0.14) ‰, the hospitalization rate – (2.37 ± 0.12) ‰, the inactivity rate measured in days – (51 ± 3) ‰, the dismissal rate – (0.55 ± 0.06) ‰, the mortality ratio – (0.4 ± 0.2) deaths per 100,000 officers in a year. The polynomial trends at low coefficients of determination of almost all indicators predicted their decrease. With a small contribution of mental disorders (1–6 %) to the structure of general morbidity, hospitalization and inactivity, the dismissal rate of officers with mental disorders remained at a high level and ranks 6th among all diseases. In 97.3 % of cases the structure of the generated complex indicator of the mental health status in officers was determined by 6 groups of disorders from Chapter V of ICD-10: mental disorders due to known physiological conditions (F00–F09), mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use (F10–F19), schizophrenia, schizotypal, delusional and other non-mood psychotic disorders (F20–F29), mood (affective) disorders (F30– F39), anxiety, dissociative, stress-related and somatoform disorders (F40–F48). The major contribution to the structure of mental pathology is made by the neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders, as well as addiction disorders. In addition it is the chemical forms of addiction and neurotic disorders that often lead to the dismissal of officers from the Armed Forces of Russia. It is shown, that some isolated socio-economic factors have influence on the mental health of officers. It is determined, that the «unpopular» reforms carried out until 2011 had negative influence, on the other hand, there is the reduction of the prevalence rate of mental disorders among the officers since the reforms of 2012. Conclusions. It is assumed, that the system of the psychoprophylactic measures existing at present needs to be further improved and primarily focused on the early diagnosis of the addiction and neurotic disorders.

1. Ames G.M., Cunradi S.V., Moore R.S., Stern P. Voennaya kul’tura i povedenie, svyazannoe s vypivkami, sredi professional’nykh voennosluzhashchikh Voenno-morskogo flota SShA [Military culture and behavior associated with drinking among professional servicemen of the US Navy]. Narkologiya [Narcology]. 2007. Vol. 6, N 8. Pp. 96–97. (In Russ.)

2. Alekhin I.A., Slivin T.S. O vzaimosvyazi psikhicheskikh sostoyanii, psikhicheskikh protsessov i svoistv voennosluzhashchikh v usloviyakh professional’noi deyatel’nosti [On the relationship between mental states, mental processes and the properties of military personnel during the professional activity]. Mir obrazovaniya – obrazovanie v mire [World of Education – Education in the world]. 2016. N 1. Pp. 122–136. (In Russ.)

3. Eremitskii I.V. Profilaktika psikhicheskikh rasstroistv u voennosluzhashchikh v osobykh usloviyakh professional’noi deyatel’nosti [Prevention of mental disorders among military personnel in the special conditions of professional activity] : Abstract dissertation PhD Med. Sci. Sankt-Peterburg. 2014. 20 p. (In Russ.)

4. Zhovnerchuk E.V. Analiz vliyaniya professional’no vrednykh faktorov na psikhicheskoe zdorov’e voennosluzhashchikh nesushchikh boevoe dezhurstvo [Analysis of the impact of professional hazards on the mental health of servicemen on combat duty]. Meditsina katastrof [Disaster medicine]. 2011. N 1. Pp. 33–36. (In Russ.)

5. Ivanov V.V., Sivashchenko P.P., Evdokimov V.I. [et al.]. Mediko-statisticheskaya kharakteristika sostoyaniya zdorov’ya ofitserov Vooruzhennykh sil Rossiiskoi Federatsii v 2005–2015 gg. [Main indicators of health status of the officers in the Armed Forces of Russia during 2005–2015]. Voenno-meditsinskii zhurnal [Military medical journal]. 2016. N 11. Pp. 4–10. (In Russ.)

6. Marchenko A.A., Abritalin E.Yu., Chudinovskih A.G. Epidemiologiya nevroticheskikh rasstroistv u voennosluzhashchikh [Epidemiology of neurotic disorders in servicemen]. Mediko-biologicheskie i sotsial’no-psikhologicheskie problemy bezopasnosti v chrezvychainykh situatsiyakh [Medical-Biological and Socio-Psychological Problems of Safety in Emergency Situations]. 2009. N 5. Pp. 12–15. (In Russ.)

7. Pokazateli sostoyaniya zdorov’ya voennosluzhashchikh Vooruzhennykh sil Rossiiskoi Federatsii, a takzhe deyatel’nosti voenno-meditsinskikh podrazdelenii, chastei i uchrezhdenii v … [Health indicators of military men in the Russian Federation Armed Forces, as well as the activities of military medical units, units and institutions in the...] Glavnoe voenno-meditsinskoe upravlenie Minoborony Rossii [Main military medical directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense]. Moskva. 2004–2016. (In Russ.)

8. Rukovodstvo po gigienicheskoi otsenke faktorov rabochei sredy i trudovogo protsessa. Kriterii i klassifikatsiya uslovii truda [Guidance on the hygienic assessment of factors of working environment and labor process. The criteria and classification of working conditions] : guidance P 2.2.2006-05. Moskva. 2006. 117 p. (In Russ.)

9. Fisun A.Ya., Shamrey V.K., Rusanov S.N. [et al.]. Mnogomernaya otsenka psikhicheskogo zdorov’ya voennosluzhashchikh pri massovykh psikhoprofilakticheskikh obsledovaniyakh [Multidimensional estimation of mental health of the military men at mass psyhoprophylaxis inspections]. Voenno-meditsinskii zhurnal [Military medical journal]. 2007. Vol. 328, N 6. Pp. 1–10. (In Russ.)

10. Shamrey V.K., Kostyuk G.P., Goncharenko A.Yu. [et al.]. Monitoring psikhicheskogo zdorov’ya voennosluzhashchikh na razlichnykh etapakh prokhozhdeniya voennoi sluzhby [Servicemen mental health monitoring in different stages of military service]. Voenno-meditsinskii zhurnal [Military medical journal]. 2011. Vol. 332, N 6. Pp. 53–58. (In Russ.)