Clinical Characteristics of the Patients Discharged from Military Service due to Neuropsychiatric Illness

Keimyung Medical Journal 1990;9(1):123-130.

군 신경정신과에서 의병전역한 환자들의 임상적 특징

정철호; 이제영; 박영남; 박종한

Abstract

To understand and prevent the military service related neuropsychiatric causalities; the authors surveyed some clinical characteristics of 405 patients who were discharged from military service from Sep. 1985 to Aug. 1989 and who had been hospitalized at Neuropsychiatric Department of Taegu Armed Forces General Hospital prior to their discharge from the military service. The results were as follows; 1. The diagnostic distribution revealed that schizophrenia was most frequent as 33.3 %; followed by seizure disorder 18.5% ; personality disorder 17.3^; major affective disorder 13.8% and mental retardation 10.4%. 2. More than half of the patiems(64.2%) were admitted to the hospital within six months of their military service enlistment. 3. The previous history of neuropsychiatric treatment prior to the enlistment in the army was found in 31.8% of all the subjects; 46.7% of the seizure disorders and 37.8% of the schizophrenics. Especially; 17.8% of the schizophrenics had the history of neuropsychiatric hospitalization prior to the enlistment in the army. 4. The previous history of problematic behaviors was found in 23.7% of all the subjects; 51.4'% of personality disroder; and 50% of major affective disroder. 5. The onset of. illness prior to the enlistment in the army was 73.3 %. The results suggest that a thorough neuropsychiatric evaluation of the enlistees may be to reduce and to prevent military service related neuropsychiatric causalities.