How can I dissaude him

[goofyjim]

I have this young friend who has bipolar disorder and comes from a broken family. In order to gain the respect he thinks he needs he wants to join the Navy. What can I say to change his mind? I’d go in myself under the buddy system but I suffer froms schizophrenia, albeit under control, and am already 44 years old. I don’t know what the cutoff age is to be a chaplain assistant in the Navy is or if there is anything like that.

 

[Pray4Life]

They should not allow him to enlist if he has actually been diganosed with bipolar disorder. That is a disqualifying medical condition, from what I understand. I’ll be praying for him.

 

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

**Why do you want to change his mind?

Is it because you feel his illness is not under control? Do you think he would be joining for the wrong reasons?

If having bipolar is a disqualifying condition then I guess you won’t have to worry about it…**

 

[goofyjim]

Why do you want to change his mind?

Is it because you feel his illness is not under control? Do you think he would be joining for the wrong reasons?

If having bipolar is a disqualifying condition then I guess you won’t have to worry about it…

I definitely feel it is not under control. He complains about stress from living with roommates at a program and doesn’t realize the stress will be much more in the navy. I think he would break psychologically and be worse off than if he took advantage of the helps for the mentally challenged that are already there. As for me I could handle the stress but I’m overweight, overage and can’t swim. I would still like the opportunity to go in as his buddy but that will never work. I feel he is using this avenue as an escape or just to prove something to everyone else. If he gets rejected or discharged he’ll have proved nothing.

 

[rayne89]

I definitely feel it is not under control. He complains about stress from living with roommates at a program and doesn’t realize the stress will be much more in the navy. I think he would break psychologically and be worse off than if he took advantage of the helps for the mentally challenged that are already there. As for me I could handle the stress but I’m overweight, overage and can’t swim. I would still like the opportunity to go in as his buddy but that will never work. I feel he is using this avenue as an escape or just to prove something to everyone else. If he gets rejected or discharged he’ll have proved nothing.

Even if you could go in together it doesn’t mean you’d be together even in basic training together. When my husband went in there were several training divisions. You almost certainly would not get stationed together no matter what the recruiters tell you. If he is diagnosed bipolar and lets the the Navy know I very serious doubt they would accept him. If he doesn’t declare it a head of time surely it will come out during basic training -the stress is challanging for the relatively average person.
If he’s old enough to join the military he’s obviously an adult and sometimes we learn life lessons the the hard way. He would recieve either a medical discharge or a failure to adapt to military life discharge most likely.
By the way living with roomates is an understatement. A Navy berthing packs them in like sardines. The racks (beds) on board ship are triple bunks with very little head room. Six guys in very tight space multiplied many times over.