Israeli ADHD Sufferers To Combat Units
August 10, 2011 by UPI - United Press International, Inc.
TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 10 (UPI) — The Israeli army has agreed to allow those suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to join combat units, officials said.
Due to the increased number of draftees diagnosed with ADHD, the army’s Medical Corps released new criteria allowing draftees to enlist in combat units, Haaretz reported Wednesday.
Those suffering from the disorder still will be required to undergo medical evaluations prior to enlistment. However, only impaired functioning will exempt a draftee from serving in combat units, the newspaper said.
“The purpose of the change is to make clear that there are good medications nowadays for ADHD, which are common treatments and some of them are long term. Only if a soldier is not performing well on medication is there justification to reduce their medical assessment,” Col. Eyal Prochter, chief of the army’s mental health bureau, told the paper.
Some 51,000 Israelis less than 18 are diagnosed with ADHD, the paper said.
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