Dr. Radosław Tworus, a psychiatrist and national defense consultant in psychiatry, told Polish Press Agency that the military has no separate psychiatric or psychological structures and that soldiers use the same public insurance and healthcare system as other citizens.
He said around 600 psychologists work in the armed forces, but that number is insufficient to meet demand and there are no systematic studies on the mental health of soldiers.
“We have no systematic data on the psychological condition of soldiers. That is a huge gap,” Tworus said.
According to him, a persistent belief that soldiers must be “tough” and should not ask for help deters many from seeking support.
“This is a myth that destroys from within. The army is not a factory of soulless machines, but people who experience fear, loss, frustration and overload,” he said, adding that lack of care leads some to burnout or destructive coping.
Tworus said the media image of the “drunken soldier” distorts reality.
“There is no widespread alcoholism in the armed forces. The problem is not alcohol, but the absence of research on mental health in the army. Alcohol is often a symptom, not a cause,” he said.
Many service members avoid psychologists because they fear professional consequences, he added.
“A soldier with emotional problems often does not reveal them because he is afraid of being deemed unfit for service. As a result, many suffer in silence,” Tworus said.
Current psychological assessments in the military are largely formal, he argued.
Checks at recruitment or before missions often “boil down to a signature on a form,” with no real dialogue or in-depth diagnosis, he said.
Tworus called for systemic monitoring of the army’s mental health and the introduction of both preventive and therapeutic programs.
“First, we need a diagnosis. Second, we must change the culture in the military and show that asking for help is not a weakness but maturity,” he said.
He noted that more officers now understand that mental resilience is part of combat readiness.
“If a soldier is emotionally stable, he reacts faster, cooperates better and makes fewer mistakes. This is not a ‘soft issue’ – it is a matter of national security,” Tworus said.
The psychiatrist also urged the creation of anonymous support mechanisms so that soldiers can talk to specialists without fearing an impact on their careers.
Comprehensive assistance, he said, should include education about addictions and mental disorders and access to therapists and sexologists.
(jh)
Source: PAP