Current situation and countermeasures of mental health education in officers and soldiers

Objective To analyze the current situation and countermeasures of mental health education in officers and soldiers. Methods Two self-designed questionnaires were used to investigate the mental status of grass-roots officers, soldiers and psychiatrists. Results A total of 84 psychiatrists and 697 grass-roots officers and soldiers were investigated. Among 84 psychiatrists, 83 valid questionnaires were collected with an effective rate of 98.81%. Among 697 grass-roots officers and soldiers, 685 questionnaires were collected with an effective rate of 98.28%. Totally 768 effective questionnaires were collected with an effective rate of 98.34%. The survey results showed that the grass-roots psychiatrists were generally under 40 years old, and 50.60% of them had been employed for less than one year, and the number of doctors with major of psychology was not insufficient, which led to the uncertainty of the curative effect of mental health treatment. The incidence of psychological problems of grass-roots officers and soldiers had decreased, but it was still at a high level, and 88.76% of them did not take the initiative to consult a psychologist within half a year. The sources of psychological problems of grass-roots officers and soldiers were complex and diverse. The main sources of psychological problems were worrying about the difficulties of integrating into the barracks and feeling anxious about the career development after retirement. For the army psychiatrists, we should strengthen the basic construction of psychology-related majors, expand the employment channels, and improve the training system. For military officers and soldiers, we should organize psychological lectures regularly, establish personal mental health file cards, and carry out long-term questionnaire survey. Conclusion There are problems such as less quantity, - poor professional level and weak ability in army psychiatrist team, the incidence of psychological problems is still at a high level in officers and soldiers, and there are misunderstandings in psychological consultation. We should take various measures to enhance the comprehensive quality of psychiatrists and improve the psychological status of officers and soldiers.