Psychiatric Problems of Finnish Conscripts

Abstract

The proportion of psychiatric disorders of all causes for medical exemption or postponement during the conscript service had remained at quite a stable level until the end of the 1960 s (1–2). At the same time, however, demands for more extensive psychiatric services had distinctly increased in the society. The public attitude in regard to mental problems had begun to change as well: more and more people were ready to accept the concept of a minor psychiatric symptom as such instead of a shameful component in a psychosomatic or rather purely somatic illness. The earlier fairly positive attitude of young people to armed conscript service was also altering as a consequence of new ideas from the other parts of Europe. Thus there were several general reasons to presume that the occurrence and expression of conscripts psychiatric problems would markedly increase in the beginning of the 1970’s.