Spinal pain and major depression in a military cohort: bias analysis of dependent misclassification in electronic medical records.

Background: Spinal pain and major depression are prevalent conditions in adult populations and are particularly impactful in the military. However, the temporal relationship between these two conditions remains poorly understood.

Methods: Using data extracted from electronic medical records, we assessed the association between incident diagnoses of spinal pain and major depression in a cohort of 48,007 Canadian Armed Forces personnel followed from January 2017 to August 2018.

Mental Health Service Use in Depressed Military Personnel: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Major depression is a leading cause of morbidity in military personnel and an important impediment to operational readiness in military organizations. Although treatment options are available, a large proportion of individuals with depression do not access mental health services. Quantifying and closing this treatment gap is a public health priority.

Mental Health Service Utilization in Depressed Canadian Armed Forces Personnel.

Background: Major depression is prevalent, impactful, and treatable in military populations, but not all depressed personnel seek professional care in a given year. Care-seeking patterns (including the use of primary vs. specialty care) and factors associated with the likelihood of mental health service utilization in depressed military personnel are poorly understood.

Disability and Mental Disorders in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Objectives: The initial goal was to validate the use of a self-report measure of disability in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The main goal was to document the extent of disability in personnel with and without mental disorders.

Methods: Data were obtained from the 2013 Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey; the sample included 6700 Regular Forces personnel.

Prevalence of Past-Year Mental Disorders in the Canadian Armed Forces, 2002-2013.

Objective: More than 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel have deployed in support of the mission in Afghanistan since 2002. Over the same period, the CAF strengthened its mental health system. This article explores the effect of these events on the prevalence of past-year mental disorders over the period 2002-2013.

The 2013 Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey: Background and Methods.

Objective: The 2013 Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey (CFMHS) collected detailed information on mental health problems, their impacts, occupational and nonoccupational determinants of mental health, and the use of mental health services from a random sample of 8200 serving personnel. The objective of this article is to provide a firm scientific foundation for understanding and interpreting the CFMHS findings.

Methods: This narrative review first provides a snapshot of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), focusing on 2 key determinants of mental health: the deployment of more than 40,000 personnel in support of the mission in Afghanistan and the extensive renewal of the CAF mental health system.

Occupational outcomes following mild traumatic brain injury in Canadian military personnel deployed in support of the mission in Afghanistan: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: Deployment-related mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) occurs in a significant number of military personnel but its long-term impacts are unclear. This study explores the impact of deployment-related MTBI on continued fitness-for-duty, with the ultimate intent of identifying potential targets for intervention to attenuate its effects.

Participants: Consisted of 16 193 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel who deployed in support of the mission in Afghanistan and completed an enhanced postdeployment screening (EPDS) questionnaire over the period January 2009-July 2012.

Deployment-related mild traumatic brain injury, mental health problems, and post-concussive symptoms in Canadian Armed Forces personnel.

Background: Up to 20% of US military personnel deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan experience mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) while deployed; up to one-third will experience persistent post-concussive symptoms (PCS). The objective of this study was to examine the epidemiology of deployment-related mTBI and its relationship to PCS and mental health problems (MHPs) in Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel.

Methods: Participants were 16153 personnel who underwent post-deployment screening (median =136 days after return) following deployment in support of the mission in Afghanistan from 2009 - 2012.

Prevalence and correlates of mental health problems in Canadian Forces personnel who deployed in support of the mission in Afghanistan: findings from postdeployment screenings, 2009-2012.

Objective: An important minority of military personnel will experience mental health problems after overseas deployments. Our study sought to describe the prevalence and correlates of postdeployment mental health problems in Canadian Forces personnel.

Method: Subjects were 16 193 personnel who completed postdeployment screening after return from deployment in support of the mission in Afghanistan.

Postdeployment military mental health training: cross-national evaluations.

Deployments increase risk for adjustment problems in service members. To mitigate this increased risk, mental health training programs have been developed and implemented in several nations. As part of a coordinated effort, three nations adapted a U.

Mental health of Canadian Forces members while on deployment to Afghanistan.

Objective: The deployed environment poses special challenges to the delivery of effective in-theatre mental health care. Our study sought to identify the prevalence and impact of symptoms of mental health problems in Canadian Forces (CF) personnel serving in Task Force Afghanistan; and, to determine the use of, and perceived need for, mental health services in CF personnel while deployed.

Methods: Our study consisted of a cross-sectional survey of all 2779 CF personnel deployed to the province of Kandahar, Afghanistan, from February 15, 2010, to March 15, 2010.

Beyond battlemind: evaluation of a new mental health training program for Canadian forces personnel participating in third-location decompression.

Introduction: Battlemind training, which improves postdeployment well-being, has been part of Canada's postdeployment Third-location Decompression (TLD) program since 2006. In 2010, a new educational program drawing on Battlemind was implemented to make it more consistent with Canada's current mental health training strategy.

Methods: Subjects consisted of 22,113 Canadian personnel returning from Afghanistan via TLD in Cyprus; 3,024 (14%) received the new program.

Evaluation of a third-location decompression program for Canadian Forces members returning from Afghanistan.

Background: Service members returning from combat can experience difficulty adapting to home life. To help ease this transition, the Canadian Forces provides a Third-location Decompression (TLD) program in Cyprus to members returning from deployment to Afghanistan.

Methods: The 5-day program consists of individual free time, structured recreational activities, and educational programming.

Pancreatitis associated with simvastatin plus fenofibrate.

Objective: To report a case of acute necrotizing pancreatitis associated with simvastatin and fenofibrate use.

Case Summary: A 70-year-old white man presenting with rapid onset of abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. On bowel rest, his condition deteriorated secondary to systemic inflammatory response syndrome, and he was transferred to a tertiary hospital's intensive care unit (ICU).