sly279 wrote:
jimmy m wrote:
sly279 wrote:
Aspies can’t join the military. We are deemed dangerous by the government so we can’t join or do fbi etc.
No so! I was in the military. And I worked my way up the enlisted ranks quite well. The military has structure and order. It also has one other thing that might be advantageous. There is a bonding that takes place in a squad. It may not be the same thing as friendship but it is very close. You depend on the squad and the squad depends on you. Sometimes with your very life.
Did you join post 1990? I’m guessing you joined in 70s/80s and I’m guessing you weren’t diagnosed?
I joined the military in the 1970's and I was not diagnosed.
sly279 wrote:
It’s a new world they don’t take diagnosed aspies in the military. Arm pay got in trouble taking autistic kid and got sued autism is a disqualification.
When I looked at the areas that a recruit might be disqualified from joining the military, I came across the following website:
Medical Conditions That May Prevent You From Joining the MilitaryThey do not disqualify a person because they have autism or because they have asperger's syndrome. But the devil is in the details. There is a section with the following exclusion details:
Neurotic, Anxiety, Mood, Somatoform, Dissociative, or Factitious DisordersThe causes for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction are a history of such disorders resulting in any or all of the below:
a. Admission to a hospital or residential facility.
b. Care by a physician or other mental health professional for more than 6 months.
c. Symptoms or behavior of a repeated nature that impaired social, school, or work efficiency.
Digging a little deeper:
Somatic symptom disorder (SSD formerly known as "somatization disorder" or "somatoform disorder" and also called Briquet's syndrome) is a form of mental illness that causes one or more bodily symptoms, including pain. The symptoms may or may not be traceable to a physical cause including general medical conditions, other mental illnesses, or substance abuse. But regardless, they cause excessive and disproportionate levels of distress.
Dissociative disorders are characterized by an involuntary escape from reality characterized by a disconnection between thoughts, identity, consciousness and memory.
Factitious disorder is a serious mental disorder in which someone deceives others by appearing sick, by purposely getting sick or by self-injury.
Neurotic disorders. Neurosis refers to a class of functional mental disorder involving distress but not delusions or hallucinations, where behavior is not outside socially acceptable norms. It is also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder.
Mood disorders include major depression, dysthymia, bipolar disorder, mood disorder related to another health condition, and substance-induced mood disorders.
So although being a high function autistic does not necessarily exclude you from joining the military, there are some elements that might cause major problems, such as seeking treatment with a mental health professional for more than 6 months or being admitted to a mental health facility. Also "Symptoms or behavior of a repeated nature that impaired social, school, or work efficiency." might cause problems. But if you completed college or perhaps even high school, that would provide evidence to counter impaired school efficiency. If you held a job for any length of time, that would also provide evidence to counter impaired work efficiency.
17 Oct 2018, 7:47 pm
