{"id":45609,"date":"2023-11-22T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/11\/22\/mental-health-doesnt-cost-troops-security-clearances-data-shows\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:20:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:20:29","slug":"mental-health-doesnt-cost-troops-security-clearances-data-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/11\/22\/mental-health-doesnt-cost-troops-security-clearances-data-shows\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental health not costing many troops  security clearances, data shows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Editor\u2019s note: this article has been updated.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For years, military leaders have insisted that troops in need of mental health care should reach out without worrying it will adversely impact their professional path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet despite these assurances, fears still exist within the ranks that seeking help could lead to their security clearance being denied or revoked, sinking a career in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Defense Department data obtained exclusively by Military Times reveals that is not the case, and that troops lose or are denied a security clearance due to psychological issues at a low rate, and far less often than other disqualifying categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, or DCSA, the body in charge of assessing candidates and processing clearances throughout the DOD, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dni.gov\/files\/NCSC\/documents\/Regulations\/SEAD-4-Adjudicative-Guidelines-U.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">13 guidelines<\/a> that can lead to a service member having their clearance denied or revoked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Troops can lose or be denied a security clearance for either one of the 13 disqualifying guidelines, or for a combination of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2023\/08\/16\/babys-first-clearance-what-to-expect-when-expecting-secret-access\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1390861824.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Baby\u2019s first clearance: What to expect when expecting secret access<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">What employers know and what students may not realize is that security clearances equal money.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of the nearly 5.4 million security clearances that DCSA has adjudicated since 2012, just 1.8% involved psychological conditions, according to the agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And officials have denied or revoked DOD security clearances based solely on psychological conditions in just 68 cases since 2012, or 0.00115% of the time, according to DCSA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Military Times analysis from fiscal year 2019 to fiscal year 2023 also found that the psychological conditions disqualifier was not a top-cited guideline for yanking or denying a military member\u2019s clearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In each of the past five fiscal years, psychological conditions were the seventh most cited in fiscal years 2019 and 2020, and the eighth most cited from 2021 to 2023, according to DCSA data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By comparison, the data shows that disqualifiers involving drug or alcohol use and financial considerations were cited at a higher rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other words, the data points to a critical point, according to agency officials and outside experts: seeking mental health assistance is not a significant driver of troops losing or being denied a clearance, despite such persistent fears in the ranks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The agency has also analyzed nearly 100,000 cases going back to 2012 and found \u201cno cases in which somebody, for simply seeking mental healthcare, failed to get or lost a clearance,\u201d Dr. Michael Priester, chief psychologist for DCSA\u2019s adjudications division, told Military Times in an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is a pervasive myth,\u201d he said of the idea that treating mental health will cost a clearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While leaders can stand before troops and assure them seeking mental health care won\u2019t impact their clearance, Priester said his agency \u201cactually has the hard brass-tacks data to prove that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re really pleased to have that information to bring to the table,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Troops who disclose conditions like bipolar spectrum disorder, psychotic spectrum disorder and certain personality disorders are not automatically denied, according to Priester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThose are certainly conditions we would look more closely at because we wouldn\u2019t want somebody\u2026that had a psychotic spectrum disorder and had difficulties interpreting reality to be active in their clearance, certainly not without behavioral health treatment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But a primary part of the agency\u2019s assessment is less about the mental health diagnosis and more about whether a service member followed their provider\u2019s treatment plan once they were diagnosed, Priester said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Being honest about mental health history and adhering to a doctor\u2019s treatment plan are critical in the clearance process, according to Daniel Meyer, a partner at the law firm Tully Rinckey who specializes in security clearance cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou need to keep an eye on the central security concern, which is not your health,\u201d Meyer told Military Times. \u201cSecurity really isn\u2019t concerned about your health, that\u2019s your doctor\u2019s job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3694\" height=\"2463\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/170603-F-LW859-023A.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81537\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/170603-F-LW859-023A.jpg.jpg 3694w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/170603-F-LW859-023A.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/170603-F-LW859-023A.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/170603-F-LW859-023A.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/170603-F-LW859-023A.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/170603-F-LW859-023A.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3694px) 100vw, 3694px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of the Air Force&#8217;s 175th Cyberspace Operations Group at work in 2017. (Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, DCSA wants to see that a treatment plan is followed after diagnosis, said Meyer, a former Defense Department senior official who led Inspector General efforts regarding civilian reprisals, whistleblowing and transparency matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you can\u2019t follow the rules about something as important as your health, you\u2019re not going to follow the rules on something as important as the handling of classified information,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those mental health guidelines were revised in 2012, Meyer said, reflecting the normalization of mental health treatment in American society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBy and large, most of this is [mitigable],\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But while mental health treatment is not a leading reason cited for denying or revoking a clearance, Meyer still recommended that military clearance holders get a mental health assessment from an outside provider if they are undergoing treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDo not rely on a government doctor, because government doctors work for the government,\u201d said Meyer, who regularly represents federal employees at all stages of the clearance process, from filling out the SF-86 form to adjudication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou need to have your own practitioner in addition to Army medicine, Navy medicine, Air Force medicine,\u201d Meyer added. \u201cYou need to maintain your own files.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018You lied to us\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several of the categories by which DCSA revokes or denies a clearance involve not only the infraction itself, but broader indications as to whether a holder can be trusted to follow the rules, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dni.gov\/files\/NCSC\/documents\/Regulations\/SEAD-4-Adjudicative-Guidelines-U.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">security clearance regulations<\/a> and outside experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Running afoul of a category like drug use \u201craises questions about a person\u2019s ability or willingness to comply with rules, laws and regulations,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dni.gov\/files\/NCSC\/documents\/Regulations\/SEAD-4-Adjudicative-Guidelines-U.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">the guidance<\/a> states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Entities like DCSA see truthfulness about past drug use as an indicator of more important qualities a clearance holder should have, and some past drug use is not the disqualifier it once was, Meyer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAlmost everybody who comes through with your average high school or college use of drugs is going to get clear, as long as they don\u2019t lie about it,\u201d according to Meyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s when things can get sticky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey bust you at some point, they ask the trick questions, you have to go on a polygraph or they interview your high school teacher who says they caught you under the stands at a football game smoking a doobie,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd now you\u2019ve got an integrity issue. You lied to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An omission suggests the prospective clearance holder can\u2019t be trusted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey\u2019re using the drug review process to assess not only your dependency on drugs, but also to assess your overall penchant for deceit,\u201d he said. \u201cSecurity would rather have a group of honest dullards working in the federal government than to have really high energy, exceptional-but-deceitful people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5568\" height=\"3712\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6335061.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Jason Davis, a cyber technician from the 2nd Audiovisual Squadron, monitors a live feed inside a production truck in support of the Advanced Battle Management System Onramp 2 event in August 2020.\" class=\"wp-image-81540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6335061.jpg.jpg 5568w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6335061.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6335061.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6335061.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6335061.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6335061.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5568px) 100vw, 5568px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An Air Force cyber technician at work in 2020. (Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sexual behavior DCSA guideline is another category where Meyer urges honesty, even if one\u2019s consensual adult predilections may be awkward for a service member to disclose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like drug disclosure, it\u2019s a realm where security adjudicators have liberalized along with the rest of society, even as concerns remain that someone\u2019s proclivities could make them a blackmail target for foreign agents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meyer said he had multiple cases in recent years involving clearance holders with potentially embarrassing \u2014 but legal \u2014 sexual preferences and the clients ultimately received their clearance because they were forthright with security officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also tells clients to be mindful of what they post online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have a rule with my clients: I don\u2019t want your junk online,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want a picture, even if it\u2019s legal\u2026Just get it off the internet, because not only can it be gathered by people who want to leverage you and get you to leak classified information, but it\u2019s also placed in places that it could come up in another criminal investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A racy photo sent to another military member who is later investigated for an unrelated allegation could lead to authorities seizing their electronics and finding that image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s a lifestyle decision to make about how you communicate in this world,\u201d Meyer said. \u201cThat means you\u2019re going to start making decisions about your lifestyle when you\u2019re anticipating a clearance or have a clearance. You\u2019re going to have to pull back a bit and not put as much stuff up on Tinder or Grindr\u2026In all these forums, the enemies of the state are out there watching them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Real-time finance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an era of easy credit and instant gratification, the DCSA\u2019s financial considerations category looks for \u201cfailure to live within one\u2019s means, satisfy debts and meet financial obligations\u201d as potential red flags for denying or revoking a clearance, according to the SEAD 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAn individual who is financially overextended is at greater risk of having to engage in illegal or otherwise questionable acts to generate funds,\u201d the guidance states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is also the most-cited clearance guideline for each of the past five years, according to the data provided by DCSA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That category has been overhauled in recent years via the implementation of the so-called \u201ccontinuous vetting\u201d program in 2021, which Meyer said may be why there are so many citations of that guideline in the DCSA data.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/10\/05\/all-dod-security-clearance-holders-are-now-subject-to-continuous-vetting-to-keep-them\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"177\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Security-Badge.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">All DoD security clearance holders are now subject to continuous vetting to keep them<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Eventually, all periodic background checks will be replaced by an automated system that continuous scans databases and receives alerts from other agencies.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of periodic checks on a clearance holder every few years, continuous vetting entails Defense Department personnel, and employees of dozens of other government agencies, having their names and personal identifiers continuously scanned through background check databases, with any new events sent straight to investigators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If an employee comes under criminal investigation, or forecloses on a home, multiple agencies will ping DCSA with the news immediately. At the same time, DCSA software will automatically scan those databases for new information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you go gambling and you win or lose more than $10,000, there\u2019s a report that\u2019s going to go to the Treasury Department\u2019s Financial Crimes Network\u2026and your security officer is going to get an email in a couple days that you won $10,001 at MGM Grand, and then you\u2019re going to be explaining to the security officer whether there\u2019s something in your finances that\u2019s compromisable,\u201d Meyer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To avoid getting flagged, Meyer said he tells his clients to limit their credit card debt to $12,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you\u2019re in the intelligence community, you should carry no short-term debt, and you should pay off your credit cards every month,\u201d Meyer advised. \u201cThe best credit-worthy clientele in the United States really should be our clearance holders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5577\" height=\"3984\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6086779.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Personnel pose for photos in the cyber operations center at Lasswell Hall aboard Fort Meade, Maryland, Feb. 5, 2020.\" class=\"wp-image-79014\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6086779.jpg.jpg 5577w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6086779.jpg.jpg?resize=300,214 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6086779.jpg.jpg?resize=768,549 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6086779.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,732 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6086779.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1097 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6086779.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1463 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5577px) 100vw, 5577px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Personnel pose in the cyber operations center at Fort Meade, Maryland, in Feb. 5, 2020. (Photo illustration\/Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Adhere to the \u2018samurai code\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meyer said every clearance holder should read the guidelines for disqualifying behavior every year, because they are \u201cthe samurai code of the federal workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to military members, he said a service member\u2019s security officer is in a conflicted role and that outside experts should be sought, and random internet forums avoided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe training stinks, and I say that as a former senior official who was in charge of training in the intelligence community,\u201d Meyer said. \u201cYou get the automated training with slides and people just zone out and it doesn\u2019t sink in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But for a junior military member, clearance is about more than human resources or PowerPoint training, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe bottom line is you have agreed to live by those 13 guidelines,\u201d Meyer said. \u201cFocus on those and then get outside advice on things you don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Correction: an earlier version of this article misstated which mental health conditions can disqualify a service member from a security clearance. There are no conditions that automatically disqualify a member, according to the DCSA.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Debunking the &#8220;pervasive myth&#8221; regarding mental health and security clearances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":81534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-post-featured-layout","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","home"],"primary_category":"your-military"},"4":{"categories":["your-air-force","newsletters","daily-news-roundup","news"],"primary_category":"your-air-force"},"5":{"categories":["your-army","newsletters","daily-news-roundup","news"],"primary_category":"your-army"},"6":{"categories":["your-marine-corps","newsletters","daily-news-roundup","news"],"primary_category":"your-marine-corps"}}},"categories":[101,23,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3355,3354],"class_list":["post-45609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"L4T365WVNZH3XLYUQLOD4CYLII","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/11\/22\/mental-health-doesnt-cost-troops-security-clearances-data-shows\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"featured-layout","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mental health not costing many troops security clearances, data shows - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Debunking the &quot;pervasive myth&quot; regarding mental health and security clearances.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mental health not costing many troops security clearances, data shows\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Debunking the &quot;pervasive myth&quot; regarding mental health and security clearances.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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