Army lifts ban on recruits with history of self-mutilation, drug and alcohol abuse

People with a history of drug and alcohol abuse, self-mutilation, depression and bipolar disorder can now seek waivers to join the Army, according to USA TODAY.

Self-mutilation is the “intentional act of tissue destruction with the purpose of shifting overwhelming emotional pain to a more acceptable physical pain,” according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. This commonly includes the cutting of skin with razors or knives, but also includes biting, hitting, or bruising oneself; picking or pulling at skin or hair; burning oneself with lighted cigarettes; or amputating parts of the body.

In 2009 the Army issued a ban on waivers as suicides among troops skyrocketed.

Read the whole story from the Miami Herald.

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