Do medical services personnel who deployed to the Iraq war have worse mental health than other deployed personnel?
AIM: There is evidence of increased health care utilization by medical personnel (medics) compared to other trades in the UK Armed Forces. The aim of this study was to compare the burden of mental ill health in deployed medics with all other trades during the Iraq war. METHODS: Participants’ main duty during deployment was identified from responses to a questionnaire and verified from Service databases. Psychological health outcomes included psychological distress, post-traumatic stress disorder, multiple physical symptoms, fatigue and heavy drinking. RESULTS: A total of 479 out of 5824 participants had a medical role. Medics were more likely to report psychological distress (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.00-1.70), multiple physical symptoms (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.20-2.27) and, if men, fatigue (1.38, 95% CI 1.05-1.81) than other personnel. Female medics were less likely to report fatigue (0.57 95% CI 0.35-0.92). Neither post-traumatic stress disorder nor heavy drinking symptoms were associated with a
