Posted on Dec 28, 2023
Does going to a psych ward stop you from going on deployment?
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I was put on an involuntary hold in a mental hospital because I was going to kill myself. I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and anxiety. My higher ups haven’t said anything about my deployment status though. So I was just wondering does it affects me going?
Posted in these groups: 
Mental Health
Deployment
Mental Health Deployment
Posted 12 mo ago
Responses: 6
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Yes, no, maybe, it depends.
Neither depression nor anxiety in and of themselves make you non-deployable. Nor does having a psych hold and coming back to normal duty status.
The key is going to be how you are doing NOW, and whether your symptoms are both manageable and being managed.
Can it affect your deployment status? You betcha. I would even go so far as to say it is LIKELY to affect your status, especially if this was recent. But there are no guarantees. It will come down to two things: recommendation of the provider, and the Commander's decision making process.
Neither depression nor anxiety in and of themselves make you non-deployable. Nor does having a psych hold and coming back to normal duty status.
The key is going to be how you are doing NOW, and whether your symptoms are both manageable and being managed.
Can it affect your deployment status? You betcha. I would even go so far as to say it is LIKELY to affect your status, especially if this was recent. But there are no guarantees. It will come down to two things: recommendation of the provider, and the Commander's decision making process.
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SFC Casey O'Mally pretty much summed it up in context, however the unknown is the timelines of your events. Were the events you described recent? Did it happen a year ago and you've been being treated since then?
Bottom line: If medical authorities have determined that you are an ongoing suicide risk, or if the treatment requires the use of medication that the military determines is deployment-limiting, you shouldn't be going on a deployment.
The only things I'll add are the underlying regulations and policies that would apply.
If the events that you described above were recent, then as part of the process you would have been coded as having a deployment-limiting medical condition (DLMC) that would make you temporarily non-deployable (DTM - Clinical Practice...*) pending a full evaluation.
DoD policy (DODI 6490.07*) is that individuals that have been "determined to be at risk for suicide" and haven't been stable within the last three months should not be deployed. If your commander really needs "SPC Amanda Handley" to deploy because there will be a significant mission impact if she doesn't go, then the commander can submit a waiver request to have you deploy with the unit.
Additionally, if you are taking medications that disqualify an individual for deployment (DTM - Clinical Practice...*) such as Lithium, medication requiring laboratory monitoring or special storage considerations, etc., then you are considered to have a DLMC.
As you are National Guard, if the hold was conducted through the civilian system, it should have been communicated over to your state's military medical officer where it would have been put into MEDPROS. If it wasn't, then as part of the pre-deployment assessment, or during your periodic health assessment (PHA), it should have been identified and followed-up.
----------------------------------------------
* DoD Instruction (DoDI) 6490.03 (Deployment Health) - https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/649003p.pdf
* DoDI 6490.07 (Deployment-Limiting Medical Conditions for Service Members and DoD Civilian
Employees) - https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/649007p.pdf
* DoDI 6025.19 (Individual Medical Readiness Program) - https://www.esd.whs.mil/portals/54/documents/dd/issuances/dodi/602519p.pdf
* DoD Directive-type Memorandum (DTM) (Clinical Practice Guidance for Deployment-Limiting Mental Disorders and Psychotropic Medications) - https://health.mil/Reference-Center/Policies/2013/10/07/Deployment-Limiting-Mental-Disorders-and-Psychotrophic-Medications
* DoDI 1332.45 (Retention Determinations for Non-Deployable Service Members) - https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/133245p.pdf
* DA PAM 600-24 (Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, and Suicide Prevention) - https://www.army.mil/e2/downloads/rv7/r2/policydocs/p600_24.pdf
Bottom line: If medical authorities have determined that you are an ongoing suicide risk, or if the treatment requires the use of medication that the military determines is deployment-limiting, you shouldn't be going on a deployment.
The only things I'll add are the underlying regulations and policies that would apply.
If the events that you described above were recent, then as part of the process you would have been coded as having a deployment-limiting medical condition (DLMC) that would make you temporarily non-deployable (DTM - Clinical Practice...*) pending a full evaluation.
DoD policy (DODI 6490.07*) is that individuals that have been "determined to be at risk for suicide" and haven't been stable within the last three months should not be deployed. If your commander really needs "SPC Amanda Handley" to deploy because there will be a significant mission impact if she doesn't go, then the commander can submit a waiver request to have you deploy with the unit.
Additionally, if you are taking medications that disqualify an individual for deployment (DTM - Clinical Practice...*) such as Lithium, medication requiring laboratory monitoring or special storage considerations, etc., then you are considered to have a DLMC.
As you are National Guard, if the hold was conducted through the civilian system, it should have been communicated over to your state's military medical officer where it would have been put into MEDPROS. If it wasn't, then as part of the pre-deployment assessment, or during your periodic health assessment (PHA), it should have been identified and followed-up.
----------------------------------------------
* DoD Instruction (DoDI) 6490.03 (Deployment Health) - https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/649003p.pdf
* DoDI 6490.07 (Deployment-Limiting Medical Conditions for Service Members and DoD Civilian
Employees) - https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/649007p.pdf
* DoDI 6025.19 (Individual Medical Readiness Program) - https://www.esd.whs.mil/portals/54/documents/dd/issuances/dodi/602519p.pdf
* DoD Directive-type Memorandum (DTM) (Clinical Practice Guidance for Deployment-Limiting Mental Disorders and Psychotropic Medications) - https://health.mil/Reference-Center/Policies/2013/10/07/Deployment-Limiting-Mental-Disorders-and-Psychotrophic-Medications
* DoDI 1332.45 (Retention Determinations for Non-Deployable Service Members) - https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/133245p.pdf
* DA PAM 600-24 (Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, and Suicide Prevention) - https://www.army.mil/e2/downloads/rv7/r2/policydocs/p600_24.pdf
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Does it? Not exactly. Can it? Yes, it can. Will it? That will be up to your Provider and Commander.
The options/information that have to be weighed are (but not limited to) the following:
1) The environment deploying to, will it be so austere that it will cause you more concern/issue?
2) Will the deployed location have BH assets on site or near by that you can have access easy to?
3) Will a diagnosis from the BH provider cause you to not be allowed to handle a weapon?
4) In conjunction with #3, does the deployed location require you to have your weapon and live ammo on you at all times or will it create a window of easy access to weapons and live ammo if you do not have to carry them at all times?
These are just a few of the things the BH Provider and your Commander have to take into account. Plus, your BH provider could very well write you a profile that excludes you from deploying.....which could lead to causing a MEB to be started.
To be honest, without being your Commander and BH Provider, the end result is 50/50 guesswork on our part here. Since we do not know all your medical concerns......nor are you required to tell us.....none of us can give an affirmative solid answer as to what may come. We can speak on previous experience, but that's about it.
The options/information that have to be weighed are (but not limited to) the following:
1) The environment deploying to, will it be so austere that it will cause you more concern/issue?
2) Will the deployed location have BH assets on site or near by that you can have access easy to?
3) Will a diagnosis from the BH provider cause you to not be allowed to handle a weapon?
4) In conjunction with #3, does the deployed location require you to have your weapon and live ammo on you at all times or will it create a window of easy access to weapons and live ammo if you do not have to carry them at all times?
These are just a few of the things the BH Provider and your Commander have to take into account. Plus, your BH provider could very well write you a profile that excludes you from deploying.....which could lead to causing a MEB to be started.
To be honest, without being your Commander and BH Provider, the end result is 50/50 guesswork on our part here. Since we do not know all your medical concerns......nor are you required to tell us.....none of us can give an affirmative solid answer as to what may come. We can speak on previous experience, but that's about it.
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