TRIGGER WARNING: self-injury, suicide, mental illness
My son (currently 14 years old in 8th grade) really wants to attend USAFA after graduation. He is working hard to make himself a competitive applicant (for example, he chose advanced geometry, Spanish, and cyber security as his "electives" for next year in 9th grade). My concern is that he won't even be considered because of his mental health history...
During the pandemic he experienced a bout of depression. He told me he was struggling and was willing to go to different appointments to determine if it was physiological or psychological. Unfortunately, it took over 8 weeks before he could get in to see a professional. During that time the depression became worse, and one night he cut himself. It was a small, surface-level injury (no scar remains), and was done in a location where he knew had no major vein. A day or so after this event, he reported himself through a crisis hotline app as struggling with suicidal thoughts. He said he knew he needed help and intervention before the thoughts exacerbated to action.
He did not make a suicide attempt, and he did voluntarily enter treatment (a day program at a psych hospital facility, and then outpatient therapy). He was an active participant in his treatment and genuinely wanted to get help. As a result, the depression went into remission quite quickly (within a few months), and he did not have any recurring suicidal thoughts (i.e. it was just that once). While he is currently still in therapy and on the lowest dose possible of Prozac, the outlook is positive for those interventions to no longer be needed within the year.
He has shown a lot of initiative to care for both his physical health and mental health (making me take him to the gym to work out three days a week at 5:45am before school, prioritizing sleep, etc.).
It was during the weeks right after he reported himself, that he decided he wanted to attend USAFA. And honestly, I think that desire has been one of the main motivations for him getting better.
I know there are strict mental health restrictions in the military, and for good reason! I'm worried though that he is going to work his tail off for the next 4 years, making decisions specifically for USAFA, and then be disqualified without the option for a medical waiver for admission. While I don't want this to disqualify him, I also believe it's best to know the truth so you can pivot and adjust, than to live with false expectations. Is there anyone here who can tell me if this will automatically disqualify him? Or does anyone have any suggestions on how we might can find out?
Thank you so much!
My son (currently 14 years old in 8th grade) really wants to attend USAFA after graduation. He is working hard to make himself a competitive applicant (for example, he chose advanced geometry, Spanish, and cyber security as his "electives" for next year in 9th grade). My concern is that he won't even be considered because of his mental health history...
During the pandemic he experienced a bout of depression. He told me he was struggling and was willing to go to different appointments to determine if it was physiological or psychological. Unfortunately, it took over 8 weeks before he could get in to see a professional. During that time the depression became worse, and one night he cut himself. It was a small, surface-level injury (no scar remains), and was done in a location where he knew had no major vein. A day or so after this event, he reported himself through a crisis hotline app as struggling with suicidal thoughts. He said he knew he needed help and intervention before the thoughts exacerbated to action.
He did not make a suicide attempt, and he did voluntarily enter treatment (a day program at a psych hospital facility, and then outpatient therapy). He was an active participant in his treatment and genuinely wanted to get help. As a result, the depression went into remission quite quickly (within a few months), and he did not have any recurring suicidal thoughts (i.e. it was just that once). While he is currently still in therapy and on the lowest dose possible of Prozac, the outlook is positive for those interventions to no longer be needed within the year.
He has shown a lot of initiative to care for both his physical health and mental health (making me take him to the gym to work out three days a week at 5:45am before school, prioritizing sleep, etc.).
It was during the weeks right after he reported himself, that he decided he wanted to attend USAFA. And honestly, I think that desire has been one of the main motivations for him getting better.
I know there are strict mental health restrictions in the military, and for good reason! I'm worried though that he is going to work his tail off for the next 4 years, making decisions specifically for USAFA, and then be disqualified without the option for a medical waiver for admission. While I don't want this to disqualify him, I also believe it's best to know the truth so you can pivot and adjust, than to live with false expectations. Is there anyone here who can tell me if this will automatically disqualify him? Or does anyone have any suggestions on how we might can find out?
Thank you so much!
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