Disqualification-mood disorder

M

MarkedGal617

5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2011
Messages
17
What would it take to prove the condition never existed? I started taking medication in middle school, in hopes that it would improve my behavior. My parents tried everything else, as I was overly rebellious at the time. Therefore, if discipline didn't work, it had to be chemical, right? I was continued on different medications, yet they were unnecessary. I've been COMPLETELY off for a year, with not a single adverse effect.
 
Have Hope!

Although I am by no means an expert on any of this, what I can say is that if you took the med for a short time, and it was a while ago, that's much better than one you're still taking or took for a really long time. If you didn't actually have the disorder and it was a misdiagnosis, that's a good thing too. If I were you, I would get back in touch with the psychiatrist and talk to him/her about what you have as a diagnosis now, just so you know. IF it turns out that you tell the DODmerb something different than is on your chart, then that's lying, and the academy doesn't look too kindly on that.

Other than that, make sure the rest of your file is as spotless as you can get it, but that's advice for anyone who applies :wink: If you're being proactive about this, that should really help.
 
Diagnosis

Depression+Mood disorder NOS. Ummm...the NOS was based on the info from the doc who Diagnosed me with depression. Neither Dr. will recant, even though it WAS a misdiagnosis. I was on it for 3 years, but have been off for a year, and significantly BETTER off of them. I am trying to get a current psych eval though.
 
Yes, I can tell you that a history of mood disorders is usually disqualifying. The fact that you think it was a misdiagnosis is unlikely correct given the fact that you were on medications for 3 years. Psychiatric diagnoses are made based on criteria found in a manual called the DSM.

Now, does this mean you won't be able to go. Not necessarily. One of the criteria that they look at is off all medications and psychotherapy for a year or more.

You won't know until you complete your DODMERB exam and are found either fit or not and then submit a waiver if needed.
 
Disqualification

I was on medication for 3 years with poor medical supervision due to my living arrangement. However, I went in for a Psych eval last week, and I am waiting on the results. However, the evaluating Dr. also mentioned that he believed the diagnosis was wrong. He suggested that maybe I had a bit of ODD at the time (Oppositional Defiant), but that it did not appear that Mood Disorder NOS, or any other mood disorder was an issue. He's reviewing all of my previous records right now as well. I've been off of medication for a year, and it's been great! And I do not have to do another exam, do I? They're valid for two years, and I applied for Class of 2015.
 
Keep on trooping!

That's really good that you've been able to try and sort through it all with another doctor who seems more amenable as well as accurate. DODMerb however will still be REALLY dismayed by this news- even if it was a misdiagnosis, even if you have ODD and not MDNOS, that's not a good thing that you needed it in the first place. I've got some ugly stuff in my file too, and although I would be eligible for class of 2017 I'm not banking on getting in to that class. I'm not a DODmerb authority at ALL but maybe what you can do to rehabilitate your application is to really find a way to show your improvement- rebellious, even if not chemical, isn't what they're looking for exactly (I know, it was in middle school and that's a ridiculously long time ago, but they're just trying to be safe). So I would possibly have my parents contact my MALO and say how you've changed and so forth, and this psych eval is a HUGE step in the right direction.

Simply because people are lining up at the door to get into the SAs and for the ROTC scholarship, I don't think that you're very likely to get in, but if you go to college immediately after graduating high school and keep your grades up and apply to transfer for the class of 2016, that says that you're very committed indeed and your performance at college away from your parents will say a lot too.

@kp2001: when you say disqualifying, do you mean disqualifying so that she would have to get a waiver, or disqualifying as in she would have to try and get a waiver but would probably not be able to get one? Also, do you have any tips to make sure your MALO doesn't think you're trying to hide this sort of thing? I assume it looks bad to act like the perfect candidate until the DODmerb itself, but I have no idea, because you don't want your MALO to write you off, either. As I'm in a similar boat, any advice would be appreciated.
 
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