i "have" ADD, can i join the military?
I put have in quotations simply because I am positive that i don’t have it and was just misdiagnosed as a kid, but because it is in my medical records i must admit to "having" ADD. I know that you can be disqualified for ADD in the military, but i haven’t taken the pills in YEARS and very much want to serve. I want to join the army, Is it case-by-case basis? I plan on going to college, will it be harder to be qualified for service (without a waiver) in ROTC?
I play high school sports, and can effectively learn in school (3.2 GPA). I also play Action Sports (BMX and Airsoft/Paintball) and am in no way affected by its symptoms (assuming i even have it, which i doubt that i do). Should i schedule a visit with my doctor who originally prescribed me the pills in the first place, to re-diagnose me? What do you think are my chances of achieving my dream?
PS: I am still going to try as hard as I can to achieve my dream of being an officer in the United States Army, whether you think i will be DQ’d or not. I will not give up, just because someone on Yahoo Answers said it could not be done.
Thank You.
yes, i believe i can live the rest of my life without the use of any pills. i am able to concentrate and sit through long test, like the SAT and ACT, and score well on them.
Standards of Medical Fitness
AR 40-501
Chapter 2
Physical Standards for Enlistment, Appointment, and Induction
2–27. Learning, psychiatric and behavioral disorders
a. Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (314), or Perceptual/Learning Disorder(s) (315) does not meet the standard, unless applicant can demonstrate passing academic performance and there has been no use of medication(s) in the previous 12 months.
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As long as coming off the meds was ok’d by your doctor.
Provide ANY and ALL medical records related to the condition and treatment to the military for a ‘medical prescreen’.
Can you function without the pills?
The Military doesn’t know you have or had ADD unless you tell them. Does it interfere with you life?
ADD/ADHD is just a description for behavior/learning behaviors. It’s not a predictor of future behavior or performance. It can be misdiagnosed! Unless you have some neurological disorder ADD/ADHD does not mean much!
Based on the loose definition of ADD/ADHD, I believe 99% of the population has it to some degree, especially teenagers!:)
Just read between the lines, don’t open any doors!
References :
A LOT of kids back in the day were diagnosed with ADD. Not paying attention in class? ADD. Failing grades? ADD. Rowdy and goofy? ADD. ADD was the one stop diagnosis for just about anything and everything for kids, and it still happens today.
Technically the military does not allow people in who are diagnosed with ADD. However recruiters know it’s a bullcrap symptom. They’re required to ask if you have ADD. If you say yes, they’ll ask you again. If you say yes, they’ll ask again, tap their foot, wink their eye or make some indication that the correct answer is no.
I’ve never heard a case where someone being discovered in the military who had ADD and lied about it to get in. Nobody really cares so long as you don’t talk about it and it doesn’t become a problem for you.
I’m not telling you to lie.
What I am telling you is to think about your decision and ask yourself if it’s really worth mentioning and if it’s going to be a medical problem for you in the future.
References :
Standards of Medical Fitness
AR 40-501
Chapter 2
Physical Standards for Enlistment, Appointment, and Induction
2–27. Learning, psychiatric and behavioral disorders
a. Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (314), or Perceptual/Learning Disorder(s) (315) does not meet the standard, unless applicant can demonstrate passing academic performance and there has been no use of medication(s) in the previous 12 months.
————————–
As long as coming off the meds was ok’d by your doctor.
Provide ANY and ALL medical records related to the condition and treatment to the military for a ‘medical prescreen’.
References :