Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 1/14/2010

Question
I was on paxil for almost five years for mild anxiety. I am, however, off the paxil now and am symptom free.I have wanted to serve this country in the Army for as long as I can remember. My question is this: I received a 96 on the ASVAB, yet why can I not serve my country? I am female so I cannot go infantry. Is there a way around this?

Thanks

Answer
Stephanie,
Congratulations on no longer needing medication.  Also for scoring 96 on the ASVAB, that's outstanding.

Let me address each piece of your question separately.

Your ASVAB score:   Sometimes called an aptitude test, the real reason it's called a "battery" and not a "test" is because it's impossible to pass it or fail it.  It's not a test like you take in school where 70% is passing, etc.  It's just a group of questions arranged together that help an expert determine what kind of work you're most likely qualified for.  The ASVAB is the most widely used aptitude evaluation in the world. It is designed to measure your strengths, weaknesses, and potential for future success.  The ASVAB provides you with career information for various occupations and is an indicator of the jobs you qualify for.  Everybody is good at something; the ASVAB just helps determine what it is you'll probably do best.  Nothing is more miserable than being stuck in a job that you can't do, or hate.  They don't want to make you a cop when you'd really be happier and more productive being a jet engine mechanic.  The minimum score of 36 means you do indeed have some ability and the military would like to hire you.  If you actually ended up with a score of 12 or 15, it means you probably have no useful ability other than begging for change on a street corner.  Since you scored a 96, it basically means you have the ability to do well in any career field.

Your medication:  I'm assuming you mean you're disqualified from the military because you were on Paxil.  That's correct, and here's why.  Paxil is a psychotropic drug, meaning it is capable of affecting the mind, emotions, and behavior. Some legal drugs such as lithium for depression are psychotropic. Many illicit drugs such as cocaine are also psychotropic.  Paxil has been prove to have side effects that may lie dormant for years and then "sneak up" on you later such as hallucinations; memory loss, agitation, aggressiveness, irritability, and hostility .  Obviously these are not the kind of things you want to happen to a person with a weapon.

Also, because Paxil is a controlled drug with considerable "abuse potential" CURRENT use of Paxil is a permanent disqualifier for joining the military, because the drug is considered behavior modifying.  If you were to lose your Paxil or somebody found it, or they stole it from you, they could cause lots of trouble and you'd be unable to get another refill until the prescription refill date.

The process that a person has to go through to prove to the doctors that they are off Paxil is so involved that a lot of people find it to be too much bother and simply just don't admit to ever having used it.  If you've been off it for more than 6 months so it will not show up in any sort of test.  If you can live with a lie, that's your choice.

Infantry:  Do you mean is there a way for a woman to get in to the infantry?  In short, NO.
Current policy set by Congress and the Secretary of Defense, effective October 1st, 1994 excludes women from direct ground combat billets in the military.  This means the infantry program is not open to women.

I know that's not what you were hoping to hear.  There are a lot of women in a similar situation that I'm sure would do a good job if given the chance.
Thanks for your patriotism and willingness to serve.
Colonel Howell