Can you join the military with depression or anxiety? 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 that 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 havebipolar disorderor 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 monthsor any inpatient care.
Can You Enlist If You Have Depression?
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 disorderwithin the last six months, or recurrentepisodes 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
Can You Join the Military With Anxiety?
You will be disqualified from the military if you have needed anxiety treatment for longer than 12 months total and/or have needed anxiety treatment at any time in the past 36 months.
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 within 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, includingpanic disorder, ADHD, or depression (1 in 5 U.S. adults have been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime). 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, intermittentexplosive disorderwas 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.
Rules for military pilots are even stricter than those for general armed forces enlistment.
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 withsuicides, attempted suicides, and diagnoses ofpost-traumatic stress disorder. These service members need help, regardless of whether they joined with the mental condition or developed it while serving.
If you or a loved one are struggling with a mental health condition, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you join the military if you take anxiety medication?
If you have taken anxiety medication for longer than 12 months total and/or have taken medication any time in the last 36 months, then you are disqualified from joining the U.S. military.
Can you have anxiety and depression while in the military?
If you develop anxiety or depression while serving in the military, it may be grounds for a medical discharge or retirement. The outcome depends on factors including the severity of your symptoms and how they respond to treatment.
Can I join the Air Force with anxiety?
Requirements for the Air Force are generally stricter than they are for other branches of the military. If you do have a history of anxiety, you may be able to get a waiver if you are able to provide evidence of an extended period of stability without the need for additional or ongoing treatment or medication.
4 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
U.S. Department of Defense. Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Armed Forces.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.National, State-Level, and County-Level Prevalence Estimates of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Self-Reporting a Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression — United States, 2020.
Kessler RC, Heeringa SG, Stein MB, et al. Thirty-day prevalence of DSM-IV mental disorders among nondeployed soldiers in the US Army: results from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS). JAMA Psychiatry. 2014;71(5):504-13. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.28
Sharp ML, Fear NT, Rona RJ, et al. Stigma as a barrier to seeking health care among military personnel with mental health problems. Epidemiol Rev. 2015;37:144-62. doi:10.1093/epirev/mxu012
By Marcia Purse
Marcia Purse is a mental health writer and bipolar disorder advocate who brings strong research skills and personal experiences to her writing.
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