Verywell / Evan Polenghi
Can you join the military with depression or anxiety?
Mood Disorders
You’re also disqualified if you have bipolar disorder or affective psychoses.
Can You Enlist If You Have Depression?
Verywell / Evan Polenghi
They must not have needed any treatment for their anxiety disorder in the past 36 months.
Other disqualifying mental health conditions include:
Can You Join the Military With Anxiety?
Autism spectrum disorders are also a disqualification.
The study also found that more than 11% of U.S. military enlistees had more than one disorder.
Interestingly,intermittent explosive disorderwas one of the most common conditions found.
How are people getting around the rules?
Rules for military pilots are even stricter than those for general armed forces enlistment.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
The outcome depends on factors including the severity of your symptoms and how they respond to treatment.
Requirements for the Air Force are generally stricter than they are for other branches of the military.
U.S. Department of Defense.Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Armed Forces.
