Treating Soldier-Athletes: A Narrative Review of Psychiatric Disorder Management While Optimizing Physical and Mental Performance in US Army Soldiers

The United States (US) Military has a unique population with distinctive demands, including physical and cognitive requirements that require them to function as what the authors term the "soldier-athletes." This article consists of a review and subsequent commentary regarding psychiatric management of service members through this proposed perspective of the "soldier-athletes." The authors utilize their combined experience as army psychiatrists in a narrative review of this population's risk and propose treatment strategies that focus on prevention, holistic assessment, and intentional clinical decisions within evidence-based practices and guidelines that take into account unique variables of this population and prioritize cognitive and physical well-being, of course, after the overarching goals of stabilization and safety. While the focus is on the "soldier-athletes," the authors propose that treatment strategies reviewed and discussed are logically expanded to the population at large, given the strong bidirectional relationship between mental health and physical and cognitive wellness. The authors first focus on a review of treatment considerations within different disorder categories, followed by individual interventions that warrant specific discussion. This article reflects the views of the authors only and not those of the US Army, US government, or any other organization.