Adjustment Disorder

Just a few minutes after introducing himself, Manning gave a more detailed introduction to Lamo that seemed quite revealing. He wrote: "I'm an army intelligence analyst, deployed to eastern baghdad, pending discharge for 'adjustment disorder.'”

Adjustment Disorder, according to Army Times, a private newspaper covering military affairs, is one of the most frequent reasons for discharge and has increased up to 165 percent since its implementation in 2008.

Adjustment disorder was a replacement for "personality disorder" discharges, but it still marked a soldier as someone suffering from mental issues. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV), the American Psychological Association’s manual of psychiatric disorders, lists adjustment disorder as occurring after a traumatic event: The person is not able to change his or her behavior. Usually, a person is classified as having adjustment disorder if symptoms persist less than six months; but the military normally classifies longer-term symptoms as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which enables victims to obtain medical benefits. According to Army Times, sufferers can be retired with "an honorable discharge, a disability rating of a least 50 percent, and medical care."