PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Tzeng, Nian-Sheng AU - Chen, Chih-Kang AU - Wang, Tzong-Shi AU - Chang, Hsin-An AU - Kao, Yu-Chen AU - Yeh, Hui-Wen AU - Chiang, Wei-Shan AU - Huang, San-Yuan TI - Forensic Psychiatric Evaluation for Military Absenteeism in Taiwan DP - 2016 Sep 01 TA - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online PG - 352--358 VI - 44 IP - 3 4099 - http://jaapl.org/content/44/3/352.short 4100 - http://jaapl.org/content/44/3/352.full SO - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law2016 Sep 01; 44 AB - The relationship between military absenteeism and mental health problems has been noted; however, factors affecting military absenteeism by enlisted personnel have not been studied systematically. In a medical center in Taiwan, we performed a chart review of 26 forensic psychiatric evaluations of enlisted personnel who were absent without leave (AWOL) or deserted their service from 1994 to 2014. The findings showed that many of these recruits had a lower level of education (50.00% had just nine years of education), intellectual disability (46.15%), depressive disorders (30.76%), and suicidal ideation (53.85%). Depressive disorder was overrepresented in comparison with findings in a previous study. Further study is needed to confirm whether psychiatric screening before service enlistment and early psychiatric intervention for service members with mental illness or emotional disturbance could help in the prevention of desertion or going AWOL.