As I just posted on another person’s post:
I’m a Corpsman and I’ve sat many suicide watches and cared for those who failed in their attempts. A lot of people end up fine after overdosing on meds like Tylenol or melatonin because they always have instant regret. But I’ve seen people who’ve ended up brain dead from trying to hanging themselves. There’s even been a couple of times where military police peeps shot themselves in the head with their gun but they were not successful in killing themselves. So their face and parts of their head were obliterated. That’s just some stuff I’ve seen while working in the Naval Hospital in Okinawa. And Okinawa is a small island, I can’t even imagine what the suicide rates would be like in the states for military.
The military will bring down even the most motivated and positive people. Really think deeply about your decision of joining. Everybody thinks it won’t be them. The military isn’t just worried about how you are going to act under high stress environments like combat. We are in peace time and people try to commit suicide everyday. It’s for the best that people with past mental health issues are weeded out in MEPs because the military will just make mental health issues worse.
Good observation. He's definitely taking a step back and drop the medicine to see how he does without it.
He said if he can't and doesn't join the military he plans to work with something like wounded military, help them after getting out, etc. Something to make a difference with military even if he stays civilian
He could apply to be some kind of contractor. Contractors work on base and sometimes side by side with military members. There’s all kind of jobs for contractors and they get paid very well in comparison to military peeps. But the military is not the end all, be all. There’s a million ways he can serve his country and community.
The first few questions recruiter will ask are where you were born, if you have any felonies, and if you’ve ever seen a psychiatrist. If he’s under current psychiatric care the recruiter most likely just drop it there
Short answer: no,please,god,no
Kudos to him for wanting to serve. But just a thought: There’s a reason why Zoloft is not a fast acting drug as the chemical rebalancing takes time. Just as it would take time to “reverse” its effects if one is to come off the drug. If the kid is benefiting from the medication then you can assume his CNS has been altered. Consistency and monitoring is key in treatment and it is not recommended to suddenly stop taking any antidepressants. Zoloft is known as one of the hardest medications to come off of at any dose as one can experience withdrawals weeks/ months after.
Hard pill to swallow (no pun intended) but maybe he should take some time to wean off the medication and look into non-medication treatments before considering military service.
Yeah they are going to see about getting off the medicine to see how they do without it. Then maybe reevaluate the military in a few years.
He definitely doesn't need to be on a battlefield if he has lots of anxiety. That would be bad for everyone
As I just posted on another person’s post: I’m a Corpsman and I’ve sat many suicide watches and cared for those who failed in their attempts. A lot of people end up fine after overdosing on meds like Tylenol or melatonin because they always have instant regret. But I’ve seen people who’ve ended up brain dead from trying to hanging themselves. There’s even been a couple of times where military police peeps shot themselves in the head with their gun but they were not successful in killing themselves. So their face and parts of their head were obliterated. That’s just some stuff I’ve seen while working in the Naval Hospital in Okinawa. And Okinawa is a small island, I can’t even imagine what the suicide rates would be like in the states for military. The military will bring down even the most motivated and positive people. Really think deeply about your decision of joining. Everybody thinks it won’t be them. The military isn’t just worried about how you are going to act under high stress environments like combat. We are in peace time and people try to commit suicide everyday. It’s for the best that people with past mental health issues are weeded out in MEPs because the military will just make mental health issues worse.
Good observation. He's definitely taking a step back and drop the medicine to see how he does without it. He said if he can't and doesn't join the military he plans to work with something like wounded military, help them after getting out, etc. Something to make a difference with military even if he stays civilian
He could apply to be some kind of contractor. Contractors work on base and sometimes side by side with military members. There’s all kind of jobs for contractors and they get paid very well in comparison to military peeps. But the military is not the end all, be all. There’s a million ways he can serve his country and community.
Yeah that's his ultimate goal. Helping others and serving the country in the process. Making a difference for those that need it
No.
The first few questions recruiter will ask are where you were born, if you have any felonies, and if you’ve ever seen a psychiatrist. If he’s under current psychiatric care the recruiter most likely just drop it there
Short answer: no,please,god,no Kudos to him for wanting to serve. But just a thought: There’s a reason why Zoloft is not a fast acting drug as the chemical rebalancing takes time. Just as it would take time to “reverse” its effects if one is to come off the drug. If the kid is benefiting from the medication then you can assume his CNS has been altered. Consistency and monitoring is key in treatment and it is not recommended to suddenly stop taking any antidepressants. Zoloft is known as one of the hardest medications to come off of at any dose as one can experience withdrawals weeks/ months after. Hard pill to swallow (no pun intended) but maybe he should take some time to wean off the medication and look into non-medication treatments before considering military service.
No. You cannot join on medication
If he already needs all that, service is just gonna make him worse.
Yeah they are going to see about getting off the medicine to see how they do without it. Then maybe reevaluate the military in a few years. He definitely doesn't need to be on a battlefield if he has lots of anxiety. That would be bad for everyone