Antidepressant

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Positivity

5-Year Member
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Mar 29, 2012
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I took an antidepressant a little under two years ago for three months and I wanted to be completely honest so I made mention of it on my DoDMERB packet. I got a remedial back requesting me to send in the records of depression. I am perfectly mentally healthy and I am extremely worried that I will get DQ because of the past usage. This is my goal and I have had tunnel vision for a long time. Could anyone please tell me what they believe the outcome will be?
 
Was this a doctor's prescription or something you bought over the counter on your own?
 
Nobody can give you that answer because every case is unique. I know that stinks, but what if we went on here and said no way, crushing your heart, but in actuality they waived you.

Do I think you will get a DQ? Yes, but does that mean I think you will not get a waiver? No. You are only in the remedial process. Let the process work.

Here are some threads for you to peruse in case you haven't already. They are connected with "mood disorder"
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=25883
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=24567
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=23686

I hope this can help you, if not anything, you may want to PM the OP's and see how they navigated the system.

Good luck

OBTW remember DoDMERB DQ's and the branch is the one that decides if they will grant a waiver. The AF may waive it, and the Army dq you. It is up to them.
 
It was appropriate that you disclosed your history even though it has brought unwelcome results. Unfortunately for you, the Army has a wide latitude in applying DQ's for mental health reasons, as you can see in 2-27, page 14 of the medical standards. "Including, but not limited to, major depression" was a phrase that caught my eye.

http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r40_501.pdf

At this point, as Pima suggests, you might as well go through the remedial process. You may want to discuss with DODMERB whether it would help your situation to have your doctor provide documentation indicating the original cause/symptoms are no longer valid and may have indeed been of limited concern to begin with (assuming of course your doctor is okay with that).
 
EDelahanty,

That link was enlightening. Thanks for sharing.
 
I should point out that the link was to the medical standards of the Department of the Army. I don't know how similar to it the standards of the other services are, though I don't imagine they would be very different.
 
I agree I think it would be quite similar for the other branches.

The only thing I would add is I can't see why the doc would not be okay with it. It is their medical records. It might just be me because we were military, no doc ever denied access to other docs as long as we gave permission for the access.

I would use this time to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst...aka waiver. I would discuss this with my ALO/BGO/MALO to see if they have experience in this situation too.

Like I said before worst case at this point, a DQ is possible, but it doesn't mean it is the end of the world. You can get a waiver, but the waivers come from the branch, thus why EDelahanty stated it was Army, AF, Navy, CG or MMA may be different. Use your resources.

I would also suggest that if you are applying ROTC scholarship to investigate this side too. There have been many candidates that got DQ's from an SA, but q'd from ROTC. To this date I don't understand why, but it happens.
 
I am supper bummed about the situation. If I would have known it would be grounds for DQ I would never have mentioned it. I find it extremely unfair. All I can do is pray at this point.
 
positivity,

You must remember that the military lives by an honor code and although you may have an uphill battle in front of you, you did the right thing by being honest.

I am not sure why you feel it is unfair, they are trying to put your health as a top priority. It is not a form of punishment, it is what is best for you and the military.

It isn't over. Every case is absolutely, positively unique and reviewed one by one. It maybe a DQ by DoDMERB, but when the branch looks at your records they could determine that a waiver is appropriate regarding your case.
 
Positivity said:
I am supper bummed about the situation. If I would have known it would be grounds for DQ I would never have mentioned it. I find it extremely unfair. All I can do is pray at this point.
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You did the right thing in disclosing for two reasons. First, it is the honorable thing to do. Second, if the issue subsequently came to light and the military learned you had not disclosed, you could be kicked out not only for the medical issue but for lying about it. Not good.

I would discuss this with my ALO/BGO/MALO to see if they have experience in this situation too.
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I disagree. BGOs at least are specifically told NOT to get involved in a candidate's specific medical issues (for privacy reasons) and I assume the other services take the same approach. This would especially be true for a potential mental health issue which, arguably, is more nuanced than a broken leg.

As people keep repeating here (b/c it's true) -- the fact that others have or have not been DQ'ed or received waivers is not material/relevant to your situation because your situation is different. For example, even with a fractured arm, the fact that MOST people recover in 4 months (this is a made-up number; I have no idea how long recovery takes) doesn't mean you will -- bones heal at different rates in different people, infections can set in, etc.

Thus, you should do exactly what you are doing. Be honest. Provide the information they request. Hope for the best. Not easy but many, many people go through this process and come through it successfully.:thumb:
 
I feel that it is unfair because some individuals today and even in the military turn to things like alcohol to cope with situational depression (in no way am i trying to run down indviduals in the miltary; I have great respect for all who serve). I sought professional help and now my dreams could possibly be crushed because of it.
 
I'm not a mental health professional and certainly can't comment on your situation vis-a-vis some other hypothetical person in the military or elsewhere.

I can say this in general about military personnel. Some do turn to drugs or alcohol to deal with stress or for other reasons. Drug use (other than those drugs prescribed by a military MD) is not tolerated. There is frequent testing and, if caught, an officer is almost certain to be separated. Alcoholism is treated as a disease. However, if you have problems with alcohol while in the military, it can affect your job. For example, you could lose your security clearance until you have addressed/resolved the issue and it's hard for most officers to function in his/her job without that clearance.

Depression (a mental illness) is something else entirely. Those who develop it during their military careers are treated by mental health professionals. Whether they can stay in or are discharged for medical reasons is a decision made by healthcare professionals.

As you have pointed out, many in the military develop issues during the course of their careers. However, the military is reticent about taking in new members who already have these pre-existing conditions. That said, if a condition existed and is now resolved, it may not hurt one's chances of entering a SA, ROTC or other accession program. That decision is one that only medical experts can make.
 
usna1985 said:
That said, if a condition existed and is now resolved, it may not hurt one's chances of entering a SA, ROTC or other accession program. That decision is one that only medical experts can make.
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That gives me hope because it has been resolved. It was highly situational and I am mentaly healthy in all aspects.
 
Positivity said:
I took an antidepressant a little under two years ago for three months and I wanted to be completely honest so I made mention of it on my DoDMERB packet. I got a remedial back requesting me to send in the records of depression. I am perfectly mentally healthy and I am extremely worried that I will get DQ because of the past usage. This is my goal and I have had tunnel vision for a long time. Could anyone please tell me what they believe the outcome will be?
Click to expand...
 
Anyone know whether this candidate was ever cleared medically? It is a bit like my DD situation, without the medication issue.
 
My DD ended up getting DQ'ed by Dodmerb, for some counseling that she received. We had supplied remedial info from therapist, etc., and her DQ was categorized as "history of anxiety disorder"........Counselor stated that at no point was there any need for any diagnosis, certainly not a "disorder" and there was never any medication involved. She was still DQ'ed and because of her stats (including an LOA and two noms) she is in waiver status. We are hopeful, that she will receive a waiver, but based on what I have read here, we could be in for a long wait. She said that nothing has shown up on either portal with regard to anything else that she might need to submit, or anything that they are asking for, so it appears that USMA will just review the info that has already been provided and decide if her "highly qualified" status overrides any concern by Dobmerb. She recently got her ACT score back (34) and that has been supplied to the academy. Fingers crossed, but there always seems to be another hurdle!!
 
If you reported "history of anxiety disorder" by checking that form on her DoDMERB questionaire, then DoDMERB staff have to follow the medical standard and DQ her. It sounds as though your "diagnosis" was incorrect if the therapist has stated she did NOT have an anxiety disorder. That is good news, but in order to continue to provide treatment for her during the duration, there must have been a diagnosis of something. I am not a medical professional, but speaking from my own DD's experience, if it is anything other than anxiety disorder, that will probably work out fine. I am guessing the diagnosis applied may have been situational anxiety, or adjustment disorder with anxiety. Either of those will probably be cleared without a problem because they are considered short-term and temporary, whereas a person with true anxiety disorder generally describes a life-long history of debilitating anxiety. If you would like more details on steps we took to clear the DQ, private message me and I'll be glad to help. Best wishes!
 
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