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ISCR Case 23-02569 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 23-02569

A decided public DOHA case, shown for research — not advice or a prediction.

Case Profile
Decision Date4/16/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Related decisionSee the appeal decision (Case ISCR Case No. 23-02569) →
Participants
Judge: Jennifer I. Goldstein
Government Counsel: John C. Lynch
Applicant's Counsel: Samir Nakhleh
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 37-year-old employee of a defense contractor who sought to retain his security clearance, which he had held for 17 years. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons citing security concerns under Guideline I, specifically related to the applicant's psychological conditions. The core allegations included a history of mental health issues, including multiple suicide attempts, diagnoses of depressive disorder and PTSD, and noncompliance with prescribed medications.
The applicant admitted to a history of mental health treatment and four suicide attempts since his discharge from the Army in 2015. He provided explanations for his noncompliance with medication, citing side effects and personal judgments about his mental health status. Despite his claims of improved coping mechanisms and a lack of recent suicidal thoughts, the evidence presented included conflicting medical records and a recent evaluation that raised concerns about his stability without ongoing treatment.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he did not sufficiently mitigate the security concerns related to his psychological conditions. The judge emphasized the applicant's history of mental health issues, the potential for relapse without treatment, and the implications for his judgment and reliability, ultimately denying his eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline IPsychological Conditions · Against Applicant
Similar decisions
Other decisions whose allegations read most like this one. Descriptive similarity of the allegations only — not a prediction.
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 23-02569

deniedApr 16, 2025· Hon. Jennifer I. Goldstein· hearing

Summary

A 37-year-old defense contractor and veteran was denied a security clearance under Guideline I (Psychological Conditions) due to a history of mental health issues. The Statement of Reasons detailed four suicide attempts, including one in January 2017 and another in December 2019, which led to an involuntary hospitalization. The applicant also repeatedly discontinued prescribed medications, such as Zoloft, without medical consent in January 2019, November 2019, and for a month in early 2020. Suicidal ideations were reported as recently as 2023.

The administrative judge found that the applicant's psychological conditions raised significant doubts about his judgment and reliability. Disqualifying conditions cited included AG ¶ 28(a), AG ¶ 28(b), and AG ¶ 28(d).

Despite favorable character evidence, the applicant did not mitigate the security concerns. The denial was based on the history of suicide attempts, inconsistent compliance with prescribed treatment, and the opinion of a qualified mental health professional that the applicant's psychological conditions impaired his judgment and trustworthiness.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant has a history of four suicide attempts, raising significant concerns about his mental health.
Inconsistent compliance with prescribed treatment for psychological conditions was noted, undermining his reliability.
The applicant's psychological conditions were deemed to impair his judgment and trustworthiness, as supported by a qualified mental health professional's opinion.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 28(a)appliedBehavior That Casts Doubt on Judgment, Stability, Reliability, or Trustworthiness
AG ¶ 28(b)appliedOpinion by a Qualified Mental Health Professional Indicating a Condition That May Impair Judgment
AG ¶ 28(d)appliedFailure to Follow a Prescribed Treatment Plan

Key Rule Quoted

“A person who seeks access to classified information enters into a fiduciary relationship with the Government predicated upon trust and confidence.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedMar 19, 2024
Answer filedApr 21, 2024
Hearing heldMar 4, 2025
Decision dateApr 16, 2025

Cite For

Impact of Psychological Conditions on Security Clearance Eligibility
Importance of Treatment Compliance in Mitigating Security Concerns
Role of Mental Health Professional Opinions in Security Clearance Decisions

Editorial summary generated for research. Not legal advice; not a prediction. Verify against the full decision before relying on any quoted language.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline I (Psychological Conditions) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant has a significant history of mental health treatment, including multiple suicide attempts and noncompliance with prescribed medication. The applicant's mental health issues were deemed to pose a risk to judgment and reliability, leading to a denial of the application.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶28)	Mitigating applied (¶29)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant has a history of mental health treatment and four suicide attempts.	Against Applicant	Suicidal Ideation or Attempt	Admitted	(a) behavior that casts doubt on judgment/stability/reliability/trustworthiness, not covered under any other guideline, indicating an emotional/mental/per… (c) voluntary or involuntary inpatient hospitalization	—	—
1.b	Applicant was involuntarily hospitalized after a suicide attempt.	Against Applicant	Psychiatric Hospitalization	Admitted	(a) behavior that casts doubt on judgment/stability/reliability/trustworthiness, not covered under any other guideline, indicating an emotional/mental/per… (c) voluntary or involuntary inpatient hospitalization	—	—
1.c	Applicant attempted suicide in January 2017.	Against Applicant	Suicidal Ideation or Attempt	Admitted	(a) behavior that casts doubt on judgment/stability/reliability/trustworthiness, not covered under any other guideline, indicating an emotional/mental/per… (c) voluntary or involuntary inpatient hospitalization	—	—
1.d	Applicant stopped taking prescribed Zoloft without consent.	Against Applicant	Treatment Non Compliance Psych	Denied	(a) behavior that casts doubt on judgment/stability/reliability/trustworthiness, not covered under any other guideline, indicating an emotional/mental/per… (c) voluntary or involuntary inpatient hospitalization	—	—
1.e	Applicant stopped taking psychotropic medications in January 2019.	Against Applicant	Treatment Non Compliance Psych	Denied	(a) behavior that casts doubt on judgment/stability/reliability/trustworthiness, not covered under any other guideline, indicating an emotional/mental/per… (c) voluntary or involuntary inpatient hospitalization	—	—
1.f	Applicant discontinued Zoloft again in November 2019.	Against Applicant	Treatment Non Compliance Psych	Denied	(a) behavior that casts doubt on judgment/stability/reliability/trustworthiness, not covered under any other guideline, indicating an emotional/mental/per… (c) voluntary or involuntary inpatient hospitalization	—	—
1.g	Applicant attempted suicide in December 2019.	Against Applicant	Suicidal Ideation or Attempt	Admitted	(a) behavior that casts doubt on judgment/stability/reliability/trustworthiness, not covered under any other guideline, indicating an emotional/mental/per… (c) voluntary or involuntary inpatient hospitalization	—	—
1.h	Applicant stopped taking Zoloft for a month in early 2020.	Against Applicant	Treatment Non Compliance Psych	Denied	(a) behavior that casts doubt on judgment/stability/reliability/trustworthiness, not covered under any other guideline, indicating an emotional/mental/per… (c) voluntary or involuntary inpatient hospitalization	—	—
1.i	Applicant had suicidal ideations as recently as 2023.	Against Applicant	Suicidal Ideation or Attempt	Admitted	(a) behavior that casts doubt on judgment/stability/reliability/trustworthiness, not covered under any other guideline, indicating an emotional/mental/per… (c) voluntary or involuntary inpatient hospitalization	—	—
1.j	No current diagnosis of bipolar disorder found in treatment records.	For Applicant	Unspecified Psychological Condition	Admitted	—	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline I). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Full decision

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