Complaints of stress in young soldiers strongly predispose to psychiatric morbidity and mortality: Danish national cohort study with 10-year follow-up.
OBJECTIVE
Serving military can be regarded as exposure to a moderate enforced stressor independent of other vulnerability factors. The aims of this study were i) to explore psychiatric morbidity and mortality during 10 years of follow-up in a cohort of healthy adolescent Danish conscripts and ii) to investigate whether stress-related disorders precede other psychiatric disorders.


METHODS
Controlled national cohort study on all psychiatric hospital contacts in young men referred to the Military Psychiatric Department (MPD) with 10 years of follow-up.


RESULTS
During the follow-up period, 24% of conscripts seen at the MPD were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder compared with 4% in the control cohort. Almost all diagnostic categories were over-represented but especially psychotic disorders. Mortality was substantially increased. Of subjects initially diagnosed with stress-related disorders at the MPD, 20% later on developed psychopathology.


CONCLUSIONS
Young healthy men complaining of mental distress following a stressor are strongly disposed to psychiatric morbidity and mortality. The study suggests that stress-related disorders often precede more severe psychopathology.
Hageman
I
I
Department of Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. ida.hageman@rh.regionh.dk
Pinborg
A
A
Andersen
H S
HS
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology