Let’s clear something up right away: having a mental health condition doesn’t automatically put your security clearance on life support.
Despite what your buddy’s cousin’s former coworker swears happened to “a guy he knew,” the government isn’t out here revoking clearances simply because someone sought therapy, took medication, or admitted they weren’t feeling their best. One of the biggest myths in the cleared community is that getting mental health treatment is somehow worse than ignoring a problem and hoping it magically disappears. Spoiler alert: it isn’t. Federal adjudicators care far more about judgment, reliability, and trustworthiness than they do about whether you’ve had a conversation with a therapist. Seeking treatment is often viewed as a sign of good judgment, not a red flag.
John Berry and Lindy Kyzer frequently collaborate to demystify complex security clearance and federal employment laws. Kyzer is the Director of Content at ClearanceJobs, while Berry is a founding partner at the security clearance law firm Berry & Berry, PLLC. They talk this week about mental health issues, degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer’s, and other cognitive health matters.
The reality is that security clearance adjudications focus on behavior, pattern and impact. A diagnosis by itself isn’t the issue. The question is whether a condition affects your ability to safeguard classified information and make sound decisions. That’s why plenty of cleared professionals successfully maintain their eligibility while managing conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, or other mental health challenges. What matters is stability, treatment compliance, and honesty throughout the process.
When Cognitive Health Becomes a Clearance Concern
One area getting more attention as the workforce ages is neurocognitive disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. These conditions are not automatically disqualifying, but they can create legitimate security concerns if they begin affecting memory, judgment, reliability, or the ability to follow security procedures. According to John Berry, security clearance attorney, individuals experiencing memory lapses, confusion, or diminished cognitive function could face additional scrutiny because those symptoms may increase the risk of mishandling classified information. The article also notes that as Americans live and work longer, cases involving neurocognitive disorders are likely to become more common in the clearance community.
That doesn’t mean a diagnosis equals a clearance denial. Under Guideline I of the adjudicative guidelines, officials look at the whole picture, including medical evaluations, treatment effectiveness, prognosis, and whether the condition is stable and manageable. For someone in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, factors such as ongoing treatment, expert medical opinions, and demonstrated stability could all play a role in mitigating concerns.
The Bigger Risk? Avoiding Help.
Here’s the part people still struggle to accept: untreated problems are usually more concerning than treated ones. If a condition is affecting your performance, relationships, finances, or decision-making, ignoring it doesn’t make it disappear. It just removes the evidence that you’re taking responsible steps to address it. Security professionals are trusted to identify risks and mitigate them. That expectation applies to personal health, too.
The clearance process isn’t looking for perfect people. If that were the standard, we’d all be updating our resumes. It’s looking for people who are honest, self-aware, and proactive when challenges arise. Whether the issue is anxiety, depression, PTSD, or a more serious neurocognitive condition, getting appropriate treatment is usually part of the solution, not the problem.
And if you’re still convinced that seeing a therapist will tank your clearance, it may be time to retire that myth alongside your old flip phone.
