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U.S. Military Discharges and Pre-existing Personality Disorders: A Health Policy Review

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Abstract

The Department of Defense (DoD) is facing allegations service members were wrongfully discharged for pre-existing personality disorders. From 2001 to 2007, 26,000 enlisted service members were discharged for a pre-existing personality disorder (2.6 % of total discharges). With national media attention of the issue, personality disorder discharges were reduced by 31 % in 2008 with new discharge procedures issued by the DoD. Even with the reduction, a government review found the DoD did not adhere to its discharge protocols. The objective of this paper is to explore personality disorders in the military, analyze various costs to stakeholders, and identify potential policy alternatives.

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Acknowledgments

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, nor the U.S. Government. The author expresses sincere gratitude to the blind reviewers for their valuable critique and review of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M Health Science Center, 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Todd C. Leroux

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  1. Todd C. Leroux
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Correspondence to Todd C. Leroux.

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Leroux, T.C. U.S. Military Discharges and Pre-existing Personality Disorders: A Health Policy Review. Adm Policy Ment Health 42, 748–755 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-014-0611-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-014-0611-z

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