Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) veterans and (b) serving armed forces personnel that enlisted aged 18 or under have sought mental health support in each of the last 10 years.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information on the number of veterans who were diagnosed with a mental disorder after leaving Service.

The number of serving UK Armed Forces personnel, who enlisted aged 18 or under, and had an initial assessment at MOD Specialist Mental Health Services is provided in the following table. Figures include only those patients referred to a MOD Department of Community Mental Health or admitted to a MOD in-patient provider. Some patients can be treated wholly within the primary care setting by their GP or medical officer and are not captured in MOD management information.

UK Armed Forces personnel, who enlisted aged 18 years or under, with an initial assessment at MOD Specialist Mental Health Services, by Financial Year

Notes:
1. Patients may not have been aged 18 or under when they were assessed at MOD Specialist Mental Health Services.

2. Some patients seen at MOD Specialist Mental Health Services may have been assessed as having no mental disorder present.

3. Numbers are rounded