Possible that ADHD (and others) will soon no longer be DQ?

[justme]

If some of these have become rubber stamped waivers, it makes sense. It reads like Enlistment side only at this time.

Pentagon reviews whether 38 medical conditions should remain disqualifiers for military service

A recruiting pilot program that uses medical data collected on service members through the Pentagon’s new health information system could change enlistment policies on up to 38 health conditions that now disqualify people from military service.

www.stripes.com

A recruiting pilot program that uses medical data collected on service members through the Pentagon’s new health information system could change enlistment policies on up to 38 health conditions that now disqualify people from military service, defense officials said.

The pilot program includes 38 health conditions that require the military to waive it as disqualifying for service, with the most notable being a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, said Lin St. Clair, deputy director of the Defense Department’s accession policy directorate.
...
Other conditions included in the pilot program, such as specific eye conditions, have time frames of three, five or seven years in which a recruit must not take medication or show symptoms of the condition.

 

[Capt MJ]

Good article and a glimpse of the ongoing reviews of the medical accession and retention standards. The data collection and trend analysis over years will be the key to cracking the door open a little wider down the road. They usually start with pilot programs like this with enlisted accession points.

It won’t be “soon” but at least it’s under active review.

 

[Korab]

Should we really be making it easier for those with ADHD, anxiety and depression to join the military?There is yet another death in the USAFA forum, and all the academies have had these incidents in the recent past. If anything, the waiver requirements should be more stringent. But recruitment numbers are low, so rather than recruit better candidates, the military’s answer is to lower the standards. Brilliant. Thankfully, these admission mistakes haven’t yet resulted in a mass fatality at an academy.

 

[Small Team Bacsi]

Should we really be making it easier for those with ADHD, anxiety and depression to join the military?There is yet another death in the USAFA forum, and all the academies have had these incidents in the recent past. If anything, the waiver requirements should be more stringent. But recruitment numbers are low, so rather than recruit better candidates, the military’s answer is to lower the standards. Brilliant. Thankfully, these admission mistakes haven’t yet resulted in a mass fatality at an academy.

Do you have any actual insight or data that would link any of these deaths or suicides you referred to that had anything to do with anyone having adhd before they joined and it was wavered ? Even one?

What about a previous DX and Rx for anxiety that was wavered any fatalities or suicides from those? Or depression?

The answer might just well be——-yes we should be making it easier . Because just maybe those are not the people those with previous Dx and Rx who are committing suicide while on AD.

It would be nice to know what the actual problem is before trying to fix it.

 

[ArmyOfOne81]

Here are a couple of articles that explore some of these issues that may help us understand this topic more. I get that these readings are not an exact match but there is a lot of info out there. I am not sure where I stand on all of this and did some reading. I have unfortunately had the experience of having veteran friends and family fall victim to this. I'm betting if you served you probably know someone also.

"The relationship between ADHD and suicidality is of concern throughout the lifespan." "Adults with ADHD have a higher risk compared to other adults"

ADHD, Self-Harm, and Suicide - CHADD

Self-harm and suicide are public health concerns that disproportionately affect adolescents and adults with symptoms of ADHD.

chadd.org

"the rate of suicide among VHA patients with a mental health or substance use disorder diagnosis was 57.2 per 100,000—more than double the rate among those without these diagnoses."

Strategies to Help Prevent Suicide Among Veterans

Suicide rates have been higher among veterans than nonveterans for the past 12 years. And since 2005, the rate has risen faster among veterans than it has for nonveterans. There are opportunities to improve risk identification, evaluation, support, treatments, and interventions.

www.rand.org

 

[Korab]

Do you have any actual insight or data that would link any of these deaths or suicides you referred to that had anything to do with anyone having adhd before they joined and it was wavered ? Even one?

What about a previous DX and Rx for anxiety that was wavered any fatalities or suicides from those? Or depression?

The answer might just well be——-yes we should be making it easier . Because just maybe those are not the people those with previous Dx and Rx who are committing suicide while on AD.

It would be nice to know what the actual problem is before trying to fix it.

Sure I do, because the military freely shares the dodmerb/dodmets/mental health records of enlisted and officer candidates after a suicide.

@ArmyOfOne81 has it right. The risks are well known.

 

[Rach3]

Should we really be making it easier for those with ADHD, anxiety and depression to join the military?There is yet another death in the USAFA forum, and all the academies have had these incidents in the recent past. If anything, the waiver requirements should be more stringent. But recruitment numbers are low, so rather than recruit better candidates, the military’s answer is to lower the standards. Brilliant. Thankfully, these admission mistakes haven’t yet resulted in a mass fatality at an academy.

I've taught a couple of kids with severe (my adjective) ADHD, and I would definitely not want them in the military ... at least I would not have wanted to serve with them when I was in the military!!