Technology in the Trenches: The Impact of evolving technologies on Combat Mental Health

Medicine and specifically mental health have been affected by emerging technologies advancing mental health treatment while at the same time bringing new challenges and stressors to the battlefield, military systems, and the warfighter.

This article reviews the evolving positive and negative impacts of technology on combat mental health and treatment. A history of technology and military mental health concerns and services is followed by an overview of present benefits and risks. The conflict in Ukraine, the Russo-Ukraine War, is used to illustrate the current state-of-affairs with examples of the use, deployment, and consequence of technology on battlefield mental health. Models need to be developed that assess specific battlefield environments and then selected and appropriately paired with available resources, technology, infrastructure, and workforce for mental health services at the individual and systems level, while understanding the impact of the changing battlefield ton mental health.