The army in the crisis: psychological problems cause unsuitability!

The army in the crisis: psychological problems cause unsuitability!

In the case of the killing spree in Graz, it becomes clear that psychological instability can have serious consequences. The perpetrator, who was classified as mentally unsuitable for military service at the Armed Forces, was in a psychological test in a civilian authority in March. Thanks to this test, he was legally able to obtain a pistol, although the army had pointed out his psychological problems. Mario Kunasek, the governor of Styria and former Minister of Defense, expressed outrage about the situation and emphasized that there was no legal basis to share important information. Data protection severely limits communication, which in his opinion urgently needs to be reformed.

Around 20% of the conscripts in Austria who are subject to conscripts are considered unsuitable for military service annually. These are results that have increased in recent years. According to [news.at] (https://www.nachrichten.at/panorama/chronik/bundeheer-das-ist-der-haeuftig-fuer-fuer-nasinality ;art58,3660839), mental disorders and behavioral disorders are the main reasons for this classification. The proportion of diagnoses for psychological problems rose from 31.5% in 2005 to 56% in 2021, while the total number of positions lives decreased.

psychological problems in focus

The number of conscripts in Austria has been falling steadily since 2005. If the number was still at 57,000 and 39,000 compatible in 2005, it fell to 50,000 and 36,000 suitable ones by 2021. In the last survey, 6750 conscripts were tested in Linz in 2022, 152 of whom received partiality that enables use in certain functions without direct combat inserts. Nevertheless, psychological instability remains the most common reason for inappropriateness, while endocrine as well as nutritional and metabolic diseases now take second place, which was previously dominated by the muscle skeleton system.

The successes in recruitment in the form of suitability remain constant in about 20% of the liability. This shows that despite the reduction in the number of recruits, the challenges of the Federal Army in dealing with mental illnesses are unchanged, as [vienna.at] (https://www.vienna.at/bundenheer-psychische-problemee-haeuftig-grund-fuer- unnachteness/7463392) documented. The increase in diagnoses could reflect a higher social pressure in the present, which manifests itself in the conscripts in accordance with mental illnesses.

In this context, reforming information transfer must be considered so that such tragedies can be prevented in the future. Kunasek's demand that data protection can no longer be considered an excuse, raises important questions about the protection of individuals and society.