Mental health and SF86

SECURITY CLEARANCE Q&A
1

Applicant for public trust (SF-86). Applicant was mis-diagnosed with bipolar I disorder almost 5 years prior to application. The diagnosis was quickly overturned on follow-up. The treating physician gave the opinion that the applicant did not have bipolar, but probably had PTSD. The physician took the patient off of the bipolar medicine, stating that the diagnosis was inaccurate and inappropriate for the patient.

Applicant got away from scary domestic abuse situation that was the cause of the PTSD like concerns. Applicant established own household, follows careful safety plan to keep safe from abuser. Applicant does not have Mental Health symptoms and recognized the fact that distress was due to constant exposure to partner’s threats, violence, instability, etc. Applicant feels normal. Applicant also received medical treatment for other conditions whose symptoms overlap with mental health conditions and is normal. One of those conditions was an infection.

Since that time, applicant has recently received letter of clearance upon re-evaluation from independent doctor, who stated that the applicant does not currently have any symptoms of any MH disorder or any mental health diagnosis, etc.

Is it required to disclose the misdiagnosis of bipolar when the applicant never had bipolar to begin with?

Applicant is applying for public trust but is hoping to upgrade to Top Secret in the future.

If it is required to disclose, how should applicant address this issue?

Should applicant give up hope and withdraw applications and find other line of work?

To be clear, applicant never was and is not bipolar, but records may exist somewhere.

Thanks,

Friend of applicant

2

On the SF86 question 21 reads “have you ever been diagnosed…bipolar…_” etc.

So yes, being that the applicant was DIAGNOSED (albeit wrongly) they would have to answer yes to this question. They would then explain (much as you did above) the circumstances surrounding the diagnosis, the reversal of the diagnosis, and the fact that they have separated themself from the underlying problem, established a life, blah, blah, blah.

They could risk NOT disclosing the misdiagnosis, and run the risk of it being uncovered, which then leads to a possibility of it having been intentionally undisclosed.

I suggest reading the forms (they are available online) and taking the wording literally.

3

I was “misdiagnosed” by the agency Psyhcologist . My long standing mental health doctors were like “wtf are they talking about”. There is new catch all in these psychological evaluations at agencies. It’s “unspecified personality disorder”. it’s so absurd to make assessments like this based on one 1-2 hr meeting with an agency psychologist and then come to the conclusion of “well, they have something but i’m not sure what it is”.

4

So then, what happened? Did you end up getting a clearance?

5

No, it was denied even though i’ve had eligibility since 2004 and have worked with pretty much the entire IC. They are using that “catch all” just like the military uses article 134. If i knew the IC would become what it is today, i would have become a dentist. They seem to want to get rid of all the patriots.