Does going to a psych ward stop you from going on deployment?

2023-12-28T22:31:46-05:00

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?

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Dec 28 at 2023 10:37 PM

2023-12-28T22:37:39-05:00

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.

Response by COL Randall C. made Dec 29 at 2023 7:41 AM

2023-12-29T07:41:52-05:00

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.
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* 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

649003p.pdf

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2023 9:47 AM

2023-12-29T09:47:42-05:00

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.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Dec 29 at 2023 2:01 PM

2023-12-29T14:01:40-05:00

Don't hurt yourself. Create a plan of who you want to contact or go to if you have severe suicidal ideations. I have helped many people with PTSD if you want some guidance from me.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Jan 2 at 2024 12:49 PM

2024-01-02T12:49:41-05:00

Any medical actions where your physical/mental health is in a pending status you may be pulled from deployable status while you get checked out. As you can imagine something like this gets a lot of attention and the last thing anyone wants to do is put you or anyone else in an unsafe situation. If you are in fine health and the Doctor's sign off on it you may be ok but it all depends on how you are doing now and what the Medical Professionals feel is best.

Good luck. Please know you are important and nobody want to see anything happen.

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Jan 2 at 2024 4:18 PM

2024-01-02T16:18:09-05:00

Hi SPC,
This is a difficult situation. You already were told this but it sounds like it might be helpful for you to talk to someone. We encourage you to check out this page to get connected to professional online support & in-person resources near you.
https://www.rallypoint.com/emergency-support

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