Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has undertaken research in the last five years on the potential correlation between PTSD suffered by serving personnel and later-life dementia.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has not commissioned or undertaken any such research. However, our approach to and understanding of mental health issues, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), is informed by the latest published peer-reviewed international literature and international studies.

A large-scale systematic review conducted by University College London of previously published international longitudinal studies in general populations and veterans reported in September 2020 that a diagnosis of PTSD may double the risk of dementia in later life. The review compared the risk of a dementia diagnosis in later life in those with PTSD and a control group from the same population, with no PTSD diagnosis. The risk of dementia for individuals with PTSD in general populations was higher than the risk in veterans with PTSD, being doubled in general populations with PTSD and one and a half times greater in veterans with PTSD, compared with the respective control groups. The researchers noted that a possible explanation of the lower risk in veterans is that they may be more likely to receive treatment for PTSD than the general population. This may mean that treating PTSD reduces subsequent dementia risk.

The available evidence indicates that the mental health of the Armed Forces is broadly comparable to that of the general population. The rate of Armed Forces clinically assessed with PTSD in 2020/21 remains low at 0.1%, which represents 1 in 1,000 personnel. However, the Government recognises that Service life can be stressful and is committed to improving the mental health of our Armed Forces and veterans. A holistic multi-faceted approach is best practice and Defence works closely with the Departments of Health and NHS and social services across the UK as well as family and friends and voluntary and civilian organisations. The aim is promotion of good mental health and well-being and prevention of illness.

All Regular Service personnel are supported by through-life mental health awareness and training. Where people become ill, dedicated medical services including mental health support are provided. The MOD also provides a 24-hour mental health helpline for Serving personnel and their families to provide support for any mental health problems anytime, anywhere. As a supplement to existing provision, in April 2020 the MOD launched HeadFIT, a mental fitness tool to support the Armed Forces community.