Dealing with the disturbed soldier in primary care

Medical Officers are often called to review violent or disturbed soldiers in barracks or in their homes. Management of the acutely disturbed soldier differs from the acutely disturbed civilian in that, whilst drug therapy will be largely similar, application of the Mental Health Acts (1) varies depending on the soldier's situation and, in some cases, the Acts do not apply at all. In addition, the rules on the arrest and detention of soldiers have changed considerably since the introduction of Human Rights legislation (2).