Question about depression and the air force [answers from actual air force recruiters appreciated!]?

Question

So a few years ago I went to a psychologist because I was going through some pretty standard stuff and needed someone to talk to. The psychologist diagnosed me with mild depression and threw medication at me... Who'da thunk? I took the medication for a while, but I didn't really like it. Eventually I stopped taking the medication and also stopped going to the psychologist because I had a recurring appointment every 3 months, and I would keep missing appts and she would charge me a lot of money without using my insurance cuz she was a b***** :\. Anyway, I know that depression is an automatic DQ, but I feel much better than I did when I went to see the psychologist and think that I was incorrectly diagnosed to begin with. Can just I go to the air force psychologist, and if they say I'm okay to enlist I'm good to go?

No personal opinions please, and answers from actual air force recruiters would be much appreciated

Answer 1

I know I'm not a Recruiter. But I am Air Force and I actually talked with my recruiter because when I was younger I had depression/mild cases of Migraines. Well, the AF can not dig into your medical records so if you don't mention it they can't dig deeper into it. That's exactly what my recruiter told me. So if you feel fine and feel as though you have no depression anymore, don't even mention it. He even told me that he's been in for years and the AF doesn't even know his medical history. As long as you can get through MEPS you should be fine. Good luck. :]



@Jamison, I actually have the paperwork for the questions they ask and they do ask with question 16. "Seen a psychologist, psychiatrist, couselor or other professional for any reason (inpatient or out patient) including counseling or treatment for school, adjustment, family, marriage or any other problem to include depression, or treatment for alcohol, drug or substance abust." And even asks if you seeked out treatment for a mental condition. So since you were diagnosed with it, I don't know if they can dig into your personal medical records because my recruiter said they can't but if it's on file I would strongly consider talking with a recruiter from your area. You don't even need to mention or name and you can block your call so they can't view the number. It never hurts to ask.

Answer 2

The problem is that you were diagnosed and treated for depression by an actual doctor. Frankly the military doesn't care what you think. They will take the word of a doctor over you. Depression and other mental illness is a permanent disqualifier. It is possible to get waivers for permanent disqualifiers though. Each case is judged independently. They measure the degree of the injury/illness the likelihood it will come back, how much it affects you, if it would be stimulated by training or deployment, how likely it is to and to what degree it will affect the people you are serving with, and how qualified you are to serve other wise (perfect score on your asvab, 4.0, etc)



The likelihood for a waiver right now when the military is cutting back is not good. You have to have a pretty sure thing (like a waiver for PRK for a 4.0 engineer). I also don't know what the likelihood is for a waiver for depression in general. You should call a recruiter on the phone or get online and use the live chat on the Air Force website.



EDIT.



@Tabitha is right. The military can only look into the medical history that you give them. And there is a lot of leeway when it comes to the way you answer questions. You answer them ONLY as they are asked without volunteering any other info. For example you were treated for asthma until you were 11 1/2. When asked if you had asthma past your 12th birthday you say "No". You don't give them any information that they don't specifically ask for. If you lie about something though it can come back to bite you. (And I do think I remember that the question reads "have you ever been diagnosed with or treated for depression but don't take my word for it). No they can't look into your medical records unless you let them but depending on the security clearance you need they can demand that you release your records or not get the clearance. If you don't get a clearance you don't get the job. If you don't get the job they may boot you out if they don't have room for you somewhere else. Plus if you get caught in a lie it is a fraudulent enlistment and that carries a dishonorable discharge, fines and possibly jail time.

Answer 3

Yes, back in 1950 when I fought in WW1 I was diagnosed with severe depression and they still let me inlist