The relative share of psychiatric reasons among the health reasons of those released from service has gradually increased – now their share is already over 50 percent.
Last in 2010, about 3,100 men were exempted from military service or postponed for reasons of mental health.
Due to health reasons, more than half of those who have received a temporary E-classification or a permanent exemption, i.e. C-classification, receive it specifically because of mental health problems, says the military chief medical officer of the Defense Forces Taija Lahtinen.
The most common causes are depression and anxiety.
For health reasons, a total of more than 5,000 men were transferred to category E or C last year, which was about 17 percent of the 31,000 conscripts. After mental health problems, the largest groups were musculoskeletal disorders and long-term illnesses.
Psychiatric According to Lahtinen, the relative share of reasons has gradually increased.
“In 2009, mental health reasons accounted for forty percent of all health reasons, but in the 2020s the proportion has been 55 percent,” he says.
The defense forces are worried about this, but according to him, it is an unfortunate social phenomenon.
“When in 2019 mental health reasons were a good 49 percent of calls for class C and E solutions, in 2020 it will exceed that (50 percent). When looking at Kela's statistics, for example, at the same time, it can be seen that sickness absences due to mental health reasons have risen to more than half of all. And the same has happened with disability pensions written for mental health reasons,” says Lahtinen.
Class C means a permanent exemption and class E a temporary, maximum three-year exemption from military service.
Also during the service, some conscripts' mental health problems become apparent. According to Lahtinen, this in no way means an automatic suspension. He reminds that the start of inti is a big change in a young person's life.
“To treat the mildest mental health disorders, we have our own means of support at the garrison's health stations. There are nurses and doctors. In addition, other discussion help is available in the group departments. There are social curators in all garrisons, and military chaplains are also one place to look for conversation help.”
In the defense forces, personnel are also trained to act if conscripts have worries and sorrows. According to Lahtinen, the most important person is the conscript's immediate superior, i.e. usually a sergeant, who is an equal in the sense that he is also doing conscript service.
“Non-commissioned officer training has added support for respectful treatment of subordinates and mental endurance.”
If actual psychiatric help is needed, the Defense Forces have partnership agreements with the welfare regions.
“If the situation becomes so serious that we have to think about ward treatment or the situation is otherwise difficult, then the service will be suspended.”
Mostly depression and anxiety appear already in calls before entering the service. However, the challenge, according to Lahtinen, is the time it takes from being called up to actually entering the service. Typically, that time stretches for a good year, and during this time all kinds of things can happen in a young person's life.
“Legislation enables us to receive health information, but it does not come automatically. When mental illnesses are typically associated with lack of initiative and impotence, the first thing that comes to people's minds is not necessarily to report this to the Defense Forces before entering the service.”
However, according to Lahtinen, it is better that information about psychological problems reaches the Defense Forces before the young person arrives in the garrison.
“Better like turning around and then going back.”
If the decision is made to suspend the service, the social curator interviews all those who suspend the service for various reasons. In addition, we help the person who has dropped out to move forward so that, with the person's permission, contact is made, for example, with social services in civilian settings.
“In connection with a possible suspension of service, the garrison health center will also make a referral for further treatment if necessary.”
Lahtinen reminds that temporary postponement, i.e. category E, is by definition for examinations and treatment.
“The purpose is to do something during that time to improve the situation.”
Junk are not non-existent in the Defense Forces as a single issue, but according to Lahtinen, they are not the biggest challenge either. Of all the 5,000 released for health reasons, the share of substances was about 2 percent. This includes alcohol and illegal substances such as cannabis and other drugs.
According to Lahtinen, quite often depression or anxiety is also associated with a substance abuse disorder.
“In these statistics, only the most significant reason for suspension is recorded. That is, if a person has depression, but in addition to that, challenges with substances, the matter appears in these statistics as depression.”
In the defense forces drug testing is regulated by several laws. According to the Conscription Act, a conscript who is in service can be drug tested under certain criteria.
The conscripting authorities have fairly broad access rights to information about the state of health and possible substance use of those conscripted. In certain situations, additional information can also be obtained from the criminal record.
“After all, the invitation is based on a preliminary health check-up at the health center. If there are doctor's visits and other indications of a substance abuse problem or drug use, the information is usually passed on to the convening authorities from the healthcare side,” says Lahtinen.
An updated substance abuse program has come into effect in the defense forces since the beginning of this year. There were no big changes compared to before. According to the program, the Defense Forces' position on narcotics is unequivocally negative.
“The use of any narcotic is not accepted in service or in free time,” says Lahtinen.
Behind the defense forces' absolute ban on narcotics is the generally dangerous nature of the operation.
“We have weapons, ammunition and explosives.”
According to Lahtinen, a person addicted to drugs can also be prone to blackmail.
“We can't take the risk that, for example, drugs would be distributed in the garrison or problems would arise due to intoxicants, for example with regard to confidential information,” he says.
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