U.S. Army Now Accepting Recruits With History of Serious Mental Illness

The Army will now allow recruits with a history of some mental health conditions to seek waivers to join the service.
USA Today

Oh, boy.
I'm not so sure I like the idea of any more crazies slipping through the military filter into civilian life-
how many of the recent headliners are those of ex-military with mental history?

According to the New York Times:
Veterans account for 13 percent of the adult population, but more than a third of the adult perpetrators of the 43 worst mass killings since 1984 had been in the United States military. It is clear that, in the etiology of mass killings, military service is an important risk factor.

And now with the recent incident in Texas, another troubled young man with military ties.

Hmmm...

WASHINGTON – People with a history of “self-mutilation,” bipolar disorder, depression and drug and alcohol abuse can now seek waivers to join the Army under an unannounced policy enacted in August, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY.

The decision to open Army recruiting to those with mental health conditions comes as the service faces the challenging goal of recruiting 80,000 new soldiers through September 2018. To meet last year's goal of 69,000, the Army accepted more recruits who fared poorly on aptitude tests, increased the number of waivers granted for marijuana use and offered hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses.

Expanding the waivers for mental health is possible in part because the Army now has access to more medical information about each potential recruit, Lt. Col. Randy Taylor, an Army spokesman, said in a statement.

The Army issued the ban on waivers in 2009 amid an epidemic of suicides among troops.

“The decision was primarily due to the increased availability of medical records and other data which is now more readily available,” Taylor's statement to USA TODAY said.
“These records allow Army officials to better document applicant medical histories.”
USA Today

And then my conspiracy senses start tingling, and it suddenly looks all too convenient for those who would be interested in 'recruiting' a patsy or two.

Remember earlier this year..?
TRUMP OVERTURNS A MENTAL HEALTH REGULATION ON GUN PURCHASES

Makes one ponder...

Stay Astonished

a reply to: ADAMandEVIL

Um...

What?

This seems about as sensible as pushing ones genitals firmly and fearlessly into a bear trap. Repeatedly.

Read your article. It says nothing about allowing "SERIOUS" mental illness.

It's about "some" mental illness and it's based on a case by case basis. I seriously doubt the ARMY is all about letting a schizo handle a rifle, explosive or a machine of death...

a reply to: StallionDuck

My title was from the USA Today article.

Do you consider self-harm to be not serious?
Are you not very serious about drug addiction?
How about a suicidal, self-harming, bipolar alcoholic with a drug history?
Again, sorry but these ARE serious, maybe not all of them all the time, but they're no joke.

Especially if we're giving them a gun.

I am kind of torn on this, if they are careful on their selections the regimented lifestyle might be what some folks need to break the cycle they were in and emerge the other side a better more complete person...

BUT; its the army its still a federal run institution which means instead of a careful selection process the recruiters will game the system to feed their quotas putting people that should not be there into the Army.

a reply to: ADAMandEVIL


With our educational systems teaching our youth to hate their own country, what would you expect to happen??? I see it on these boards on a daily basis the hate for our military from citizens. If someone is a cutter at 14 years old and they grow up and out of that phase, should that disqualify them from military service? If having a mental illness would disqualify a person from serving, how does that effect people with gender dysphoria??? Should they be allowed to serve??? Better yet, own weapons??? Slippery slope you guys on the alt left are promoting.....


Perhaps the better answer then would be mandatory 2 years military service out of high school???? Careful what you wish for!!!

a reply to: StallionDuck



Really?

Self harm, which often leads to self elimination through misadventure if nothing else, does not appear to be a serious mental health condition to you? Drug addiction, which most commonly will be something to do with prescription pain medication, which has had staggeringly poor results for people for quite some time, and has a great deal to do with some of the worst things afflicting modern, developed societies, is not a serious problem, a serious condition, despite the fact that people die from it on a pretty damned regular basis?

Things like that do not seem serious to you?

Well, you are welcome to your opinion, but I think the statistics on these things speak far louder volumes than any persons opinion of them, and if you have ever looked into any of these things, you will see that there is no way for any of these things to be considered low risk, or anyone who expresses these traits to be considered stable enough to be given a rifle and told to have at the buggers wearing the other teams colours.

a reply to: ADAMandEVIL

And now with the recent incident in Texas, another troubled young man with military ties.

He was an air force pog.

No combat. No nothing.

I can't wait till this turns into a PTSD makes people kill thread.


THAT SAID:

The Army lowering standards to meet needs is nothing new.

During the Iraq war they were giving waivers for felonies.

With the regulation, the SSA was required to identify and report to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) individuals who are unable to work because of severe mental impairment and can’t manage their own Social Security financial benefits, and therefore were ineligible to buy guns.

This is from the OPs Newsweek source.

Just out of curiosity, where's the adjudication process in this? That is due process for mental illness cases. It is nowhere to be found.

Just because people are mentally ill doesn't mean they aren't entitled to due process. That's why this rule was overturned.

a reply to: Irishhaf

recruiters will game the system to feed their quotas putting people that should not be there into the Army.

The screening would have to occur at MEPS.

Recruiters have no control over waivers.

Mental illness is rife in the UK armed forces. I myself suffered very bad ptsd and I know of a lot of lads who have hung themselves in the barracks . I remember one lad who climbed the Butt's at the business end of the range to try and kill himself whilst we were zeroing rifles!

I'm not sure how I feel about this. But clearly anyone with serious mental illness should be put nowhere behind weapons. However rigorous training regime can solve anxiety disorders as it did with me

a reply to: EvanB

This is a case of Army trying to meet numbers that don't exist in the real world.

The Army is only going to cause problems among its ranks with stuff like this.

The army has been changing drastically over the last 16 years.

It's become softer and WAY more tolerant to individuality than it should be.

This is just another example of that.

Another contributing factor in less than favorable candidates being recruited is the intense pressure put on military recruiters to meet their quotas. Recruiting is a B billet and your performance in that position can make or break your career in some cases. It’s a high stress thankless job that most soldiers dread being tasked to.

a reply to: ADAMandEVIL

Recruiters dont like extra paperwork, so they dont like waivers.

I imagine the people at the desks will keep standards up. As they should.

Also they seem to hate getting people that fail to go to basic training and a lot of mental health issues will lead to just that. It makes the recruiters % of job success that much lower. Which makes them look bad.

WASHINGTON – People with a history of “self-mutilation,” bipolar disorder, depression and drug and alcohol abusecan now seek waivers to join the Army under an unannounced policy enacted in August, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY.

Like that isn't going to come back and bite people in their arse.

originally posted by: ADAMandEVIL
a reply to: StallionDuck

My title was from the USA Today article.

Do you consider self-harm to be not serious?
Are you not very serious about drug addiction?
How about a suicidal, self-harming, bipolar alcoholic with a drug history?
Again, sorry but these ARE serious, maybe not all of them all the time, but they're no joke.

Especially if we're giving them a gun.

No... It wasn't.

USA Today:

Army lifts ban on waivers for recruits with history of some mental health issues

Your Title:

U.S. Army Now Accepting Recruits With History of Serious Mental Illness

and... you should really re-read the article, if you haven't read it at all...

a reply to: ADAMandEVIL

I had to chuckle at this, which personality was it that joined and can you hold the other ten separate personality's for desertion.

This will probably be for lesser mental illness though and for non front line recruit's, it also suggests that the US may actually be fearful that they may have to make a call up soon so are loosening the regulation's ahead of that and making claim's of mental illness to not be an excuse to try to get out of doing military service.
Next they will go after the conscientious objectors AGAIN.

But like I say there may be a very good reason for this.

a reply to: TrueBrit I don't think this will have a good outcome at all. And also WHAT lol. What made you think of that? Why man why

a reply to: ADAMandEVIL

Better than a draft...