Saw a nurse practicioner for depression/anxiety but never took meds; Can I still get into AFROTC?

Tosh123No

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Mar 18, 2018
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Backstory:
I was gaslighted by my abusive ex and told my nurse practicioner I was depressed and anxious when I wasnt. In case you dont know what gaslighting is here's the definition:
gaslighting
  1. manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity.
The NP (nurse practitioner) then prescribed me meds. I DID NOT TAKE THE MEDS. But due to the abuse I was under I decided to tell my ex and my NP that I was taking the meds. I saw the NP on and off for 18 months between 2015-2017. I barely started seeing a new NP DECEMBER 2017.

Me and my ex broke up this January (2018) which is when I realized I wasnt depressed/anxious but in actuality MY EX had gaslighted me into thinking I was. I have always been a very positive person. Now that shes gone it's clear that the source of my problems was HER. My first NP has documented sessions of me saying how down I feel because of my ex's behavior towards me. A psychiatrist I saw in Nov. 2017 for ONE SESSION also diagnosed me with PTSD (WHICH I DONT HAVE, AND IDK WHY HE DIAGNOSED ME WITH PTSD AFTER ONLY SEEING ME ONCE!!!)

***So my question is: Will getting a new mental evaluation by a psychiatrist and having my psychiatrist say my testing showing I am fine and dont need any more treatment and that I never took any meds allow me to enter the AFROTC program?***

I ask because I was told by an as100 afrotc cadet that mental issues require a waiver and that taking meds gets you DQ'd for 3yrs from AFROTC. He also told me DUIs are disqualifiers yet when I e-mailed with my local cadre he told me they could get me waivers for both the DUI and mental issues. So I'm just here seeking answers.

I guess i would in addition need to get those waivers, right? But yes, in theory, if i got the waivers and the positive result on my mental evaluation by my psychiatrist would that allow me to get in the afrotc program?

It has always been my dream to serve in the Air Force as a Commissioned Officer. But I put those dreams on hold after I got a DUI in 2010. In 2010 I was already talking to a recruiter but the DUI completely haulted the process. The recruiter told me to come back when the DUI was a few yrs old. So that's why Im only now trying to join.

thanks guys for reading and i look forward to your responses
 
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It's not the prescription or taking of medication that is the issue, but it is the underlying diagnosis by the medical professional. You need to get the records from the NP and see what they diagnosed. That diagnosis is what you will need to disclose on your medical history form. If you do get a follow up medical evaluation you can add that information in the explanation, but it will not eliminate the fact that you were diagnosed with whatever the NP diagnosed. Most likely imho you will be DQ by DoDMerb and the mitigating facts will help with a waiver. You will not know the results until you go through the process each case is unique.
 
It's not the prescription or taking of medication that is the issue, but it is the underlying diagnosis by the medical professional. You need to get the records from the NP and see what they diagnosed. That diagnosis is what you will need to disclose on your medical history form. If you do get a follow up medical evaluation you can add that information in the explanation, but it will not eliminate the fact that you were diagnosed with whatever the NP diagnosed. Most likely imho you will be DQ by DoDMerb and the mitigating facts will help with a waiver. You will not know the results until you go through the process each case is unique.
Should I be worried about the Psychiatrist who saw me only once (for 20 minutes) and diagnosed me with PTSD? I deeply believe he wrongfully diagnosed me. But i heard ptsd is a disqualifier altogether.
Is that true?
 
As walk ons they do not take their DoDMERB until their 200 yr to get ready for SFT. It is only scholarship recipients that take it prior to the 200 yr. That means theoretically you are almost 2 yrs out from taking the physical. Personally I would contact a DoDMERB consultant. You will have to pay a fee, but they maybe able to help you navigate the system for the waivers.

I am a little confused about why you are going AFROTC at your age, and not just OCS. If I do my math correctly and assume in 2010 when you got the DUI you were underage, let's say 18, that still puts you at 26. I am not sure what the age limit is for a ROTC commission, so I would check into that too.
 
To receive a scholarship, you must be under 31 years of age in your commissioning year. That could be a factor that renders all else moot. Will you be too old?

Frankly, the seeing-a-Psychiatrist-thing doesn't give me nearly as much pause as the DUI conviction and the fact that you were diagnosed as having PTSD.
You were convicted (even though it's a misdemeanor), as in being written down in court records and part of your background check.
You were diagnosed with PTSD, as in being written down by an actual medical doctor and part of your medical record.
You lied to the Nurse Practitioner (NP) about being depressed and anxious. You were prescribed medication because of this, which went into your medical record.
You lied again to the NP and said that you were taking medication which was prescribed for you, so I imagine that taking the meds is part of your medical record, as well.

If you can actually find a doctor who will write all this off as being positive, I say go for it.
 
To receive a scholarship, you must be under 31 years of age in your commissioning year. That could be a factor that renders all else moot. Will you be too old?

Frankly, the seeing-a-Psychiatrist-thing doesn't give me nearly as much pause as the DUI conviction and the fact that you were diagnosed as having PTSD.
You were convicted (even though it's a misdemeanor), as in being written down in court records and part of your background check.
You were diagnosed with PTSD, as in being written down by an actual medical doctor and part of your medical record.
You lied to the Nurse Practitioner (NP) about being depressed and anxious. You were prescribed medication because of this, which went into your medical record.
You lied again to the NP and said that you were taking medication which was prescribed for you, so I imagine that taking the meds is part of your medical record, as well.

If you can actually find a doctor who will write all this off as being positive, I say go for it.
Welp, the guy who diagnosed me only saw me for 20 mins... I highly doubt thats an adaquate time to do a full mental evaluation. I have never had flashbacks or anything ptsd related and know I dont have ptsd. So i think getting a new evaluation would help a lot.
If i dont have it then i dont have it.
And im not going to pretend i have it anymore. Especially since its an issue to join rotc.
 
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