AMBULATORY MENTAL-HEALTH-SERVICES AT A US ARMY COMBAT SUPPORT POST - THE EFFECTS OF THE PERSIAN-GULF-WAR

A study of ambulatory mental health services on a U,S, Army post where logistic support personnel are stationed compared utilization of psyc hiatric services before, during, and after the Persian Gulf War, Rates were calculated for service utilization for the at-risk groups from c onsecutive cases presenting at the post's ambulatory mental health ser vices in the Department of Psychiatry, Our findings include a high rat e of dysfunction for soldiers in training during the war; significant age, race, and sex differences between utilizers and non-utilizers thr oughout the study period; increased routine evaluations for military s chools following the war; and significant increases in utilization of services by identified high-stress units during this conflict, Rates o f utilization for a combat support post can be used for resource alloc ation and have implications for mental health manpower planning and st ress prevention.