There have been too many instances lately where people have been killed by individuals who were thought, by the people they knew, to be “nice and upstanding” individuals. These people were “shocked” that their neighbor would hurt and kill people. They seemed so “normal”.
Mental health illness doesn’t come with a sign on the person’s forehead. It is often a very deceiving disease. A lot of people hide it very well. How many times have you heard “we didn’t know he was depressed” after someone killed themselves? How many times have you heard “but he seemed so normal” after you find out that someone is Bi-Polar or has Borderline Personality Disorder?
Most people with a mental illness won’t admit they have a mental illness, much less tell the Navy recruiter that they were locked up in numerous psychiatric facilities.
According to half a dozen different recruiters in different cities that I spoke with while researching mental health issues, they all stated that they questioned their potential recruits about any history of mental problems. They also stated that they would not be allowed to join the Navy if they had a history of depression, suicide attempts, any mental health diagnosis or any stays in a mental health facility or residential treatment center. When I stated that I knew of numerous people that had mental health issues that were accepted into the Navy they told me that it was not possible. After more attempts to find out who to speak to about these issues I was told, by numerous people, including the Navy Training Center in Chicago and the Public Affairs office – “there is no one to tell”.
According to information about the disqualifying conditions for being accepted into the various services if you have anything on the list – you will be rejected.
Unfortunately, that is not the case. The Navy is allowing people with mental health issues into the Navy. They are putting them into stressful situations and giving them access to guns and military information that could cause potential harm to other people. Innocent people – who believe that the Navy is there to protect our country.
The Navy allegedly has rules for about whom they will accept into the Navy. Yet, they seem to be ignoring their own rules.
The causes for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction (without an approved waiver) are an authenticated history of:
Disorders with psychotic features such as schizophrenia, paranoid disorder, and other unspecified psychosis, including personality disorders.
Mood disorders (such as bipolar… ) requiring outpatient care for longer than 6 months by a physician or other mental health professional, or inpatient treatment in a hospital or residential facility.
Suicidal behavior, including gesture(s) or attempt (s), or history of self-mutilation.
*** Derived from Department of Defense (DOD) Directive 6130.3, “Physical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, and Induction,” and DOD Instruction 6130.4, “Criteria and Procedure Requirements for Physical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Armed Forces.”
In my research I looked into the background of some of these people with known mental health issues. They not only had one diagnoses, but multiple diagnosis and multiple stays at mental health treatment facilities. They also had police records showing death threats while in those mental health facilities. All a matter of public record.
Yet, the Navy just ignores the evidence that is staring them in the face. Because their recruit looked them straight in the eye and lied to them. That is what it is called. A lie. Leaving out the truth.
“No sir, I have never been diagnosed with a mental illness. No sir, I have never been a patient in a psychiatric hospital. No sir, I have never been a patient in a residential treatment center”.
A smile. A lie. And off to the Navy you go.
Is the Navy so desperate for recruits that they will take people with known, documented mental health issues? Or you can ask – Is the Navy so desperate that they will keep people after being told that their new recruit has a severe history of mental illness?
One person that I interviewed told me that “being locked up in a mental health facility could have been due to depression and that is no reason to be kept out of the Navy”. Maybe, though the standards for being rejected say otherwise. One stay at a mental health facility, maybe. Two or three or four stays – well, maybe the problem is a bit more serious than “depression”. Maybe the rest of us don’t want someone with obvious mental health issues and a history of instability being given a weapon and supposedly keeping us safe from terrorists.
When you hear about an incident where someone goes off and kills a bunch of people all you have to do is look into their background and you will find evidence of mental illness. Yet the Navy ignores that evidence.
Another person that I interviewed told me that the Navy does thorough background checks. Really? I never knew that background checks requested hospital records from every hospital and residential treatment center in every city and every state in the USA. I guess we all learn something new every day.
When most people look at people in the military they are impressed and awed by these people giving of themselves to serve their country. We all know that some of them come out of the service with PTSD and other issues and we understand what they gave up to keep us safe. But when the military accepts people into service with known mental health issues – we should be scared. Really scared.
People with mental health issues don’t walk around with a scarlet “C” for crazy on their foreheads. They look normal. They even act normal. But they aren’t normal. And being in the Navy doesn’t make them normal.
Who knows what will set them off. It could be something as simple as the weather or not getting their own way. Or someone finding out the truth – that they have mental health issues. And no one must know. No one.
In researching Borderline Personality Disorders it is very clear that it is a very complex illness. BPD destroys families and lives. But the devastating part of the illness is not the illness itself – but the fact that people with BPD can make you look like the one that is crazy when all you want to do is to protect those people that the BPD person comes into contact with. Even with proof of multiple psychiatric stays the BPD person can turn everyone you are trying to protect against you. It is a scary and devastating disorder. A mental illness like no other.
People with Borderline Personality Disorder should not be allowed into the Navy – by their own policy. Yet research has shown that the number of people with BPD accepted into the Navy increases yearly. Mental illness and the Navy do not mix.
Maybe someday the Navy and the rest of the military will open their eyes and admit they have a problem and do something before it’s too late.
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