Mental health evaluations of U.S. Air Force basic military training and technical training students

A 2000 report by Staal, Cigrang, and Fiedler and a 1998 report by Cigrang, Carbone, Todd, and Fiedler described the attrition of U. S. Air Force basic military trainees due to mental health disorders for the year 1997. This article looks at the population of Air Force basic military trainees and technical training school students located at the same base during the year 2001. In addition, we look at the effect of allowing basic trainees and those in technical school to refer themselves for mental health evaluations as opposed to only evaluating those referred by secondary sources. Primary results of the data analysis suggest that mental health-related separation rates for calendar year 2001 basic military trainees are consistent with past years at 4.2%. For both basic trainees and technical school training students, adjustment disorders and depressive disorders are the top diagnostic categories related to recommendation for separation.