I had a medical condition (PANDAS, not medically disqualifyig to my knowledge, now surgically resolved which makes it even less likely to be disqualifying, will continue to look into it) that When I got strep throat, suicidal thoughts skyrocketed, paired with parents divorce and parents doing a horrible job of it, **** hit the fan, not a concern anymore, I’ve had hard times since then and worked my way through them. All in all not overly concerned about future stressful situations that military path likely will put me through.
On the topic of ending my seeing of a therapist,my worry is that if I stop seeing them now or soon, when I need that strong letter vouching for my mental health and that last few years of therapy were not nessecary, that I will not be able to work with them (counseling office) to acquire that strong letter and if I can contact them without any hitches, that we will have been out of contact for enough time that they no longer know me well enough to be able to properly vouch for me. But I see this is where you mention the importance of an exit strategy.
I will also work with parents to contact DOD. Thank you
Please confirm the exact parameters of prior diagnostic/ medication history, and windows of time after medication and therapy to be considered a non-issue with DODMERB directly. Confirm your options. Once you know that, if you'd like, please discuss your career goals and advocacy with your health care team. Regardless of the source of the original concern - strep/ PANDAS, you had more than 1 inpatient stay for psychiatric care, had suicidal ideations, and have been in the past on medications to treat mental health concerns (self reportedly). You've had years of therapy, which is terrific. Confirm with DODMERB how that might impact your candidacy.
You have a baseline of years of therapy and if that concludes (if and only if you and the therapist agree that's the right path for you) with therapy not being needed, followed by the exact timeframe or longer that you can confirm with the DODMERB team needed, that may help you. Real talk- if you continue to see the therapist, it doesn't present like you no longer need a therapist.. Seeing a therapist, simply, presents like you need to continue to see a therapist. You may be seeing it as if you have an expert meeting with you/ knowing you well who can vouch for you - they can already do that based on confirming after your years of therapy together, you no longer need it because you are stable/ healed. Again, confirm with the source so you know the impact of your decisions.
It sounds to me like you have comfort and enjoy seeing your therapist and those discussions. were you my child, without pause and with 100% conviction, I would strongly advocate that you continue those therapy sessions. Take care of yourself.
Suicide rate for veterans of the military is astoundingly high - my son walks 22 miles in an event each year with a group to raise awareness and funds because it's reported that 22 veterans die each day from suicide. It's a high stress environment after which post traumatic stress is common. So you state you feel capable to handle, but keep this in mind - I don't think anyone enters that arena thinking they won't be capable to handle it. No one thinks they'll end up being one of the 22 daily victims.
In my opinion one of the greatest strengths of many Americans is that when doubted we are stubborn and can rise to prove doubters wrong. It's motivating - we get resolved and great things happen. With your desire to serve, go track down the details for your options and make a plan so you don't DQ yourself due a lack of knowing the rules. If the military won't have you (I too planned to serve until I blew out my knee playing college sports and missed my window), there are lots of ways to add value to our country- other government agencies, CIA/ FBI/ NSA, volunteering, which have different thresholds. Thanks for your willingness to serve. Good luck to you.
