Almost half of service personnel assessed by military psychiatrists have mental health issues not clearly linked to their careers, or are fabricating their experiences, according to a leading expert. Ian Palmer, a former senior military psychiatrist who ran the government’s medical assessment programme (MAP), found that in 42% of cases there was no definite link to military service, and at least 10% appeared to be making up or exaggerating their service history.
Palmer, the first tri-service professor of military psychiatry, said predictions of huge numbers of veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following tours in Iraq and Afghanistan had failed to materialise, while websites had made it easier for people to learn how to articulate symptoms. “Fabrications are intriguing because they range from outright fraud through to the fantastic and even delusional,” he said. “Within society there seems to be an almost reflex desire to link health problems in veterans with their military service.”
The comments coincide with a new study in the Defence and Security Analysis journal, which claims some veterans embellish their service because media scrutiny has led the public to expect trauma. Hugh Milroy, chief executive of the charity Veterans Aid and a study author, said the volume of fabricated careers was “disturbing” and wastes time and money. An internet group, the Walter Mitty Hunters Club, has been set up to expose cases, recently alleging a Kent councillor’s medals were bogus.
Edgar Jones, professor at King’s College London, warned of “stolen trauma”, saying it risks undermining genuine cases and diluting scarce resources. The MoD says it has improved mental health services, committing £7.4m last year. A King’s College report found UK armed forces members are twice as likely to develop depression or anxiety than the general population.
