As the draw down occurs with the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan we are seeing depression in servicemembers and family members too. Over time, depression can get worse. Because of this, it is imperative to seek treatment.
While depression can be experienced differently from one person to the next, several symptoms are associated with it. One person may have one or two symptoms while another person many have many. The most familiar symptoms are feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and sleeplessness, as well as changes in appetite from eating too little to even overeating.
Other common symptoms include excessive crying, staying in bed for long periods of time including more than normal , and even thoughts of ending your life. For a diagnosis of depression, these symptoms are experienced most of the day for at least two weeks. Again, if untreated, these symptoms can persist for years. It is normal to experience situational depression due to the loss of a job, relocation, death of a loved one, divorce, retirement and even deployment.
The situational experiences may not last long and your overall capability to function should not be impaired. However, if it continues to the point where you cannot work or carry on with your daily routines you should speak to a professional.
Depression is not an illness about willpower. You find yourself crying a lot and you don't know why. You are sad and blue, with little energy or desire to carry out your daily routines. You have lost the "get-up and go" attitude you once had. Your appetite has changed and you are not eating very much at all, or you could be overeating. This has caused weight gain or even weight loss.
You may notice a fluctuation in weight. You beat yourself up because you can't snap out of it. Every day you say it will be different, that you will return to your normal. However, every day it is the same: you can't snap out of it. This is not about willpower. You feel worthless, hopeless and you even feel guilty too.
You have lost your zest or zeal for life and the activities that you once found pleasurable. You loved to exercise, go out for drinks with friends, biking or bowling. However, you are constantly invited to do these things with family and friends, but you don't have the desire to do them.
Life is no longer exciting. Don't be afraid to get help. Solicit help from a loving family member or friend you can trust. Fraud, desertion, murder and other crimes performed in uniform can result to proceedings in the court-martial that ends to a Dishonorable Discharge. Entry-level discharge or entry-level separation may be given to a new recruit who cannot complete the basic training and adapt to the military environment during training, unable and unwilling to complete the initial phase of the training before moving forward to a permanent party.
Entry level separations do not have a privilege for benefits. This is served to new recruits that have served beyond days. However, this is neither considered good nor bad. However, a due process should be undergone before a service member will be dismissed from the military. Commitment to work in the military service has a minimum of eight years.
Yes, they can. However, you will not be easily discharge and if your doctor will identify if your condition is severe, you may get a profile. Yes, you can. If you have a history of mental conditions mentioned above, and if the mental health professional who checked on you deem it necessary to discharge you from the military service due to the severity, danger and effects on your functioning in the military, you will be most likely discharged earlier than expected.
The presence or history of any disorder with psychotic features, such as schizophrenia or a delusional disorder, does not allow a person to serve or be enlisted in the military service. Exposure to trauma and having brain injuries during combat may cause damage to the brain and result in symptoms and signs of depression.
Working in the military can be a very stressful career. It requires not only physical strength but emotional resilience.
Yes, it can. A journal published by the Psychological Science showed that men who have an experience in the military tend to have a lower score on agreeableness compared to their civilian counterparts. Agreeableness is a personality dimension associated with our ability to accommodate social situations and ability to be pleasant.
We also discussed depression, other mental health conditions that disqualifies a service member in the military and other reasons for discharge. Further, we answered frequently asked questions about the subject. If you are suffering from depression then ongoing professional counselling may be your ideal first point of call. Counselling will utilize theories such as Cognitive behavioral therapy which will help you live a more fulfilling life. Will I get kicked out of the military for depression?
Other mental health conditions and other conditions that disqualify a person being enlisted are: history of post-traumatic stress disorder history of obsessive-compulsive disorder history of or current dissociative, depersonalization, conversion, or factitious disorder, somatoform disorders, hypochondriasis, or pain disorder related to a somatoform disorder or psychological factors recurrent episodes of adjustment disorder or history of adjustment disorder within the last six months history of paraphilias like exhibitionism or voyeurism history of or substance-abuse disorder, current alcohol or drug abuse or dependence history of attempted suicide or suicidal behavior history of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder History or impairment on academic skills or perceptual defects including dyslexia and interference with employment or school.
However, passing employment and academic performance from the previous 12 months may be qualified. Reasons of discharge from the military Personality disorders are the most common reason for discharge in the military stipulated under other designated physical and mental conditions ODPMC. This also includes: — bedwetting — sleep walking — allergies — severe stuttering — obesity — excessive height — airsickness — certain allergies — seasickness Experience of chronic stress may lead to psychological disorders.
Other reasons for early discharge Conscientious Objector Discharge Soldiers are deployed by their command and they cannot choose where they will be assigned.
Early Release for Education A military member can be discharged early to pursue education. Military Hardship Discharges So long that the reason for the military hardship discharge is valid, a member can request for an early discharge. Honorable Discharge This highest discharge a member of the military can receive indicates a service well performed, faithfully executed and has led the person to become an asset in the branch of the military they served.
It is essential that you do not lay all blame for your condition on the military. Military psychiatrists can be friendly and supportive, but it is not unusual to find rude, unconcerned, or openly hostile doctors. You may actually be harassed or insulted by the psychiatrist, and you may want to resist the temptation to respond in kind.
Most psychiatrists can be persuaded to take your problems seriously if you persist in discussing them. Military psychiatrists will often diagnose the condition and may recommend discharge after the first interview. If this does not happen if they fail to recognize the condition, or diagnose a less serious condition , it may be necessary to make repeated visits to the psychiatrist until it seems the doctor understands the seriousness of the problem.
With some of these conditions, local commands are reluctant to believe that the problem exists and to grant discharge. Medical or psychiatric documentation is vital. The best documentation for a personality disorder is a current and thorough psychiatric evaluation. While the military will require psychiatric examination by a military psychiatrist or licensed clinical psychologist, civilians are usually more thorough and more sympathetic than military doctors.
Military commands and psychiatrists may demand to know why a civilian psychiatrist was consulted, even though it is perfectly legal to do so. Members can justify the consultation by explaining how their emotional state frightened them. You may want to write a cover letter describing your difficulties in performing your duties and what you have tried to do to alleviate the problem.
This letter is usually most effective if it is not a request for discharge but an outline of the problems you are having. It is not helpful to give the psychiatrist a detailed account of how the military has made life miserable for you. Instead, you can discuss your own feelings and actions without simply laying blame on the military. While it is important to be honest, you may not want to give a psychiatrist self-incriminating information about illegal activity drug use or homosexual acts, for example unless you want such information to be included in the report.
There is no patient-doctor confidentiality in the military! Usually it is most effective not to stress your desire for discharge but rather to focus on discussing the problems you are experiencing. Nonmedical documentation of a personality disorder can be very helpful, but it should be in addition to a current psychiatric report.
Friends, and sometimes a sympathetic chaplain or medical officer, can report problems that they have seen to your superiors. Letters from a concerned relative or family minister, or from professionals such as social workers or marriage counselors, may also be useful.
You can help to document a personality disorder by allowing its symptoms to show. Many members make strenuous efforts to control their problems while on duty, or you may simply have less visible or detectable symptoms.
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