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Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/prescription medications and MEPS disqualification
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Question
Sir, I am a veteran and have decided to try to join the Air National Guard. In the past year I was diagnosed with depression due to a failed marriage. My doctor prescribed paroxetine (paxil). Will this disqualify me from joining the ANG? Thank You
Hi Jeff,
Any treatment for a mental health condition (especially if it involves prolonged therapy, medication, or hospitalization) is a disqualification factor (see: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/intmedstandards.htm).
However, even if MEPS disqualifies you, the service you are trying to join can process a waiver. For details, see my article at: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/medicalwaiver.htm
For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my U.S. Military Information Site at: http://usmilitary.about.com Hope this helps!
Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com
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Answers by Expert:
Rod Powers
Expertise
Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.
Experience
Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.
Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
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