Expert: John L - 9/27/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi there... Sorry this is gonna be a doozy, but I just gotta ask someone! I was wondering, can you get a medical waiver and enlist in the military if you were in a mental hospital ONLY once, with the following being contributing reasons? I was put into one of those by my doctor on one of those 51/50 (72-hour) hold things after I told her on a school day that my mom snapped out of nowhere, trashed my room in a blind rage and attempted to attack me (I remember getting hit by different things she threw at me) I didn’t receive that ‘treatment’ too well...  I ran from home to the bus stop to hide from my mom and get to school so I could tell one of my teachers.  Instead, I decided it’s better to go to the courthouse that was by where I lived and also where my doctor’s office was. The situation felt like a life/death emergency to me! I told the doctor everything about my mom did and I showed her where I got hit. She started filling out paperwork for CPS and for some reason kept asking me if I wanted to kill myself. I kept saying no but she kept asking, like it was a hint or something, I don’t know…  She went to her phone, then said she called a receiving home and couldn’t get me in there immediately, and then she felt that a 51/50 hold was warranted – But I didn’t think I was crazy! I thought mental hospitals were for really crazy people, and I didn’t really want to kill myself either. But lo and behold, I was placed on a 51/50 hold because the doctor said that it was the only ‘quickest’ way to get me out of my abusive situation and involve CPS immediately- (I was admitted for ‘Suicidal Ideation’ – No previous physiological history prior). The doctors at the hospital learn during the72-hour hold that the central problem was not my mental state but my abusive mom was causing me great distress. They were trying to get me discharged after the 3 days ended because they said I was stable and NOT a danger to myself; they felt that I wasn’t the type to ‘kick my own bucket’, so to speak.  They kept calling my mom to take me home (BIG mistake!)  They told me that she kept telling them that she didn’t want me anymore, I didn’t exist; she didn’t know me, she did not want me. (Damn excuses).  Doctors didn’t like that.  Now, I was technically ‘abandoned’ at a freakin’ mental hospital for over 13 days! (It was the only shelter available to me because the receiving home was full at the time, or so they said…) Since my parent technically just left me there, the doctors then decide that it was okay to discharge me to CPS, who finally show up to get me released and placed me with a Sheriff’s Deputy (Don’t know if any police reports were made in my case) They were also investigating my mom (they saw the scars and bruises I got from her).  Since then, I’ve got my academic streak back (From a 1.86 to 4.0’s across the board) even became my Air Force JROTC unit’s squadron commander. I was pretty much back to normal, without my abusive mom!  Heck, I even have straight A’s in college right now! My ASVAB score as of now I think it’s a 97. Will the military put all of this in consideration in the aftermath and prior to my ‘hospitalization’? Do I even have a chance? I have paperwork if a recruiter or MEPS might need it. It seems like my doctor was trying to do what was best at the time, but didn’t seem to realize that it could affect my future military service ambitions… (I really want to see military service). What do you make of this?

ANSWER: The main question I have is how old were you when this went on?  This is a major factor, but what is more important is what the Dr says.  If it was found that you had or have no issues, it was just  abuse, and a Dr will put that in writing, the chances of you getting in are good.  They will probably send you to a military shrink as part of your processing, but if you are fine, there is nothing to worry about.  Your grades will show stability as well.

You sound like you can get an ok to get in.   Go for it!!

Talk to a recruiter and start the process.  Remember to downplay the mental hospital, if you weren't there as a full patient,  make sure a Dr note says that.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I was 16 when the abuse got at its worse (and was ‘rescued’ by being placed in the psychiatric facility. It’s a strange way to save a kid, dont’cha think? ) I was seeing a doctor prior because I was processing abuse issues with mom and possible mental implications from it. I was being treated for injuries, too. I was also a H.S. sophomore and 2nd year cadet in Air Force JROTC at that time. I had a 3.5 GPA at the time and also, my Aerospace Science Instructors noticed that in a 3-week period, I went from 'Perfect Attendance' to 'Excessive Absence/Tardy', that alarmed them to the point to where they started looking into it (They even called the cops once because I told them when I actually got to go to school that my mom did some more things...) My GPA took a similar downturn from the 3.5 to the 1.86 in the same timeframe.  My mom at this point refused to let me go to school, which caused my grades to fall – FAST! I had less opportunity to get away from her until that day I ran from home (on a school morning, weird…) to the courthouse place where my doctor was and told her. At the psych hospital, they kept putting me on and off meds because they were saying that I probably had a disorder only for another doctor to overturn the diagnosis saying, it’s not that, it’s parental abuse. I was like, really, make up your minds; am I loco en la cabesa or am I just some lost kid? So, I don’t really know if I even HAVE an official diagnosis… Can I just get a psychological evaluation by a civilian or military to determine if I really have anything at all and get this mental hodgepodge over with, or do I still have to drag along civilian mental health records? Can the Psych Eval even be a substitute for past documented mental health history, even if there are inconsistencies in medical diagnoses?

Answer
Just make reasonable effort to get your documents.  If you cant get them, dont worry about it.  A statement from you should be fine.

Your recruiter should help you thru the process.

If it was more than 5 years ago, he may recommend not to mention them.  Thats your call though.