Women's Mental Health in the U.S. Military - Where Are We Now? A Review of Recent Research.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The field of women's mental health has grown in the military healthcare system, which has begun to acknowledge and address the sex-specific differences in mental health for service women. The purpose of this review is to examine recent research in active duty populations addressing perinatal mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and gender isolation. RECENT FINDINGS: Within the examined literature focused on active duty populations, analyses by sex and gender continue to exist as notable gaps, and a majority of studies reviewed either do not aim to examine sex or gender-based differences, and/or do not analyze data with an eye towards these paradigms. Within perinatal mental health, the lack of studies led to an inability to make any notable conclusions. PTSD was the area with the most robust publications focused on active duty women, studies of major depression showed significant occupational impact, and the area of gender isolation continues to grow as a promising field with practical implications. We discuss current promising research and advance ideas for future research trajectories that will provide clinicians, policy makers, and scientists with more data to support improved mental healthcare for both military women and men.

Early interventions in a US military FIRST episode psychosis program.

AIM: Naval Medical Center San Diego's Psychiatric Transition Program is a specialized first episode psychosis treatment program that delivers coordinated specialty care to military service members with psychotic disorders. Due to the unique military environment, military service members with first episode psychosis are hypothesized to receive care very early after the emergence of first psychotic symptoms, resulting in significantly reduced duration of untreated psychosis. This study's aim is to calculate the duration of untreated psychosis for patients enrolled in Naval Medical Center San Diego's Psychiatric Transition Program (NMCSD PTP) from 01JUL2014-31DEC2016. METHODS: Patients included in this study had a diagnosis of schizophreniform disorder (13.04%), schizophrenia (43.48%), schizoaffective disorder (8.70%), other specified schizophreniform disorder (30.43%), or brief psychotic disorder (4.35%) upon discharge from military service and NMCSD PTP. Duration of untreated psychosis was defined as the interval from emergence of positive psychotic symptoms to antipsychotic medication initiation. Duration of untreated psychosis was measured through retrospective review of the electronic medical record. A total of 69 subjects in the Naval Medical Center San Diego's Psychiatric Transition Program met inclusion criteria. Mean and median values as well as standard deviations were calculated for all included subjects. RESULTS: The mean duration to scheduled (non-PRN) neuroleptic medication was 37 days (median: 4 days). The mean duration to PRN neuroleptic medication was 21 days (median: 2 days). CONCLUSIONS: These data support our view that the structure of the military and military healthcare system markedly shortens the DUP for military service members who experience first episode psychosis.