A bill to allow recruits with previous mental health treatment is on the way

[Sherman A1]

In the vast majority of cases, young Americans hoping to join the military are barred from signing up if they’ve previously been treated for anxiety, depression or other mental health struggles. But there is some interest in changing that.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is working on a bill that would remove some of those barriers, he said Wednesday during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

“We’re telling young Americans, right now, if your dream is to be an Air Force pilot and you have depression as a 16-year-old girl, you either need to not go get help, or if you did go get help and you’re prescribed drugs and then you apply to be an Air Force pilot, you’ve got to lie,” he said.

This has particularly been an issue with children whose parents have served, a very common demographic for new recruits, as their medical records are easily pulled from the Defense Department’s own systems.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2022/04/08/a-bill-to-allow-recruits-with-previous-mental-health-treatment-is-on-the-way/

[hunter]

1. The Navy turned me down for asthma and mental health issues.

I didn't lie about those... okay, maybe just a little, first dates and all.

Curiously the Navy offered me a civilian job in Germany.

I declined that offer and decided I'd be a big city science teacher instead.

Which is how I met my wife, who was a science teacher as well, so it all turned out for the best.

But we weren't happy. I still rank teaching as the hardest job I've ever had.

My wife is a brilliant teacher but the lack of respect for teachers was wearing on her.

When my wife was accepted to graduate school in another state I followed her.