Can You Serve in the U.S. Military With Mental Illness?

If you wish to join the U.S. military, be aware that people with current mood disorders or a history of certain mental illnesses cannot serve. The U.S. Department of Defense has a directive which provides a detailed list of the mental health conditions that prevent a person from being in the armed services.

Disqualifying Mental Health Conditions

According to the Department of Defense, you're disqualified from serving in the U.S. military if you have a current diagnosis or a history of most mental disorders. The presence of any disorder with psychotic features, such as schizophrenia or a delusional disorder, does not allow one to serve.

Mood Disorders

You're also disqualified if you have bipolar disorder or affective psychoses. For depressive disorders (for example, major depressive disorder), disqualification from the service occurs if a person had outpatient care that lasted for more than 12 months or any inpatient care. A person with a depressive disorder must be stable, without treatment or symptoms for a continuous 36 months, to be eligible to enlist.

Anxiety Disorders

For anxiety disorders (for example, panic disorder), a person cannot enter the armed services if they needed any inpatient care, or outpatient care for more than 12 months cumulatively. They must not have needed any treatment for their anxiety disorder in the past 36 months. Other disqualifying mental health conditions include:

• A history of obsessive-compulsive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder
• A history of or current dissociative, conversion, or factitious disorder, depersonalization, hypochondriasis, somatoform disorders, or pain disorder related to psychological factors or a somatoform disorder
• A history of an adjustment disorder within the last six months, or recurrent episodes of adjustment disorder
• A history of paraphilias like voyeurism or exhibitionism
• A history of or current alcohol or drug abuse or dependence
• A history of attempted suicide or suicidal behavior

Personality and Behavioral Disorders

Disturbances of conduct, impulse control disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, or other personality or behavior disorders characterized by frequent encounters with law enforcement agencies, and antisocial attitudes or behavior also warrant disqualification from service. Likewise, a person may be disqualified from enlisting if their personality, conduct, or behavior disorder is believed to be a serious interference in adjusting to the military.

Other Disorders

Other causes for disqualification include (but not limited to) a history of anorexia or bulimia, a history of encopresis (soiling your underwear) after the age of 13, or a history of an expressive or receptive language delay. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be a reason for disqualification if one has received treatment with the last two years or it has been significantly present since age 14. Autism spectrum disorders are also a disqualification.

Effects on Service Members

While currently having mental health conditions or a history of a serious mental disorder technically prohibits military service, research data suggests that many are skirting the rules. A study published in 2014 found that 25% of non-deployed U.S. military members had some sort of mental disorder, including panic disorder, ADHD, or depression. Two-thirds of these had their conditions prior to enlisting.

The study also found that more than 11% of U.S. military enlistees had more than one disorder. Interestingly, intermittent explosive disorder was one of the most common conditions found.

How are people getting around the rules? It's not entirely clear, but people find ways to circumvent the regulations, most in the vein of, "Don't ask, don't tell."

The problem lies not in the disregard for the rules, but in the risk to the person who enlists. For instance, in the 2014 study, enlistees who had mental disorders prior to enlisting were more likely to have difficulty performing their job. In addition, the rules make it unlikely that someone who develops a mental health condition in the military will seek appropriate help.

A Word From Verywell

These rules are meant to protect those with the condition and others in the military. However, some advocates say the U.S. military should make more efforts to identify mental illness both in recruits and in established service members—not to kick them out, but to provide earlier treatment.

Such an effort could help foster needed assistance in an organization currently wracked with suicides, attempted suicides, and diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder. These service members need help, regardless of whether they joined with the mental condition or developed it while serving.