JAMA psychiatry
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Although high rates of current mental disorder are known to exist in the US Army, little is known about the proportions of these disorders that had onsets prior to enlistment. ⋯ Interventions to limit accession or increase resilience of new soldiers with pre-enlistment mental disorders might reduce prevalence and impairments of mental disorders in the US Army.
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Understanding the epidemiologic profile of the life course of mental disorders is fundamental for research and planning for health care. Although previous studies have used population surveys, informative and complementary estimates can be derived from population-based registers. ⋯ This nationwide study provides a first comprehensive assessment of the lifetime risks for treated mental disorders. Approximately one-third of the Danish population received treatment for mental disorders. The distinct signatures of the different mental disorders with respect to sex and age have important implications for service planning and etiologic research.
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The suicide rate among US Army soldiers has increased substantially in recent years. ⋯ The fact that approximately one-third of post-enlistment suicide attempts are associated with pre-enlistment mental disorders suggests that pre-enlistment mental disorders might be targets for early screening and intervention. The possibility of higher fatality rates among Army suicide attempts than among civilian suicide attempts highlights the potential importance of means control (ie, restricting access to lethal means [such as firearms]) as a suicide prevention strategy.