Hey guys, I'm hoping someone with a clue about how the military works can help me out here.
I'm looking at applying to join the Army over the summer when I'm sure of my fitness (I've been working on and off on my fitness since the new year). I'm a 19 year old female, I'm hoping to get into the Royal Artillery or combat engineers, so pretty frontline orientated (as a female can get, anyway). I've wanted to enlist since I was about 13 but life circumstances have gotten in the way over the years and I gained weight and became unfit, and I'm pretty sure my mental health history has disqualified me, but I still want to apply anyway just so I don't find myself going through the rest of my adult life thinking "what if...?". I do have other plans for my life if I don't get in like going to uni etc., but this is my ideal job, so it's pretty important to me.
Firstly, as stupid as this sounds, I'm unsure if I was formally diagnosed with some disorder on the autism spectrum, I never saw a qualified psychiatrist over this but child psychologists up until age 14. I was getting bullied at the time and I was getting accused of being "unsociable" for it by my parents and teachers who I suppose noticed I was withdrawn, but they had me assessed at CAMHS. I don't believe I have it, according to some Army medical notes guidance I read on ARRSE, they take into account that a diagnosis may have been made in error. I am a picky person, but perfectly sociable with people I'm comfortable with, and I have no problem with making eye contact etc. I'm pretty sure if I was re-evaluated, the diagnosis (if I even have one) would be removed. However what.. how would the Army view this? Even if it is in error?
Secondly, I think this is what really goes against me is the fact I was briefly on a mood stabiliser (lithium carbonate - used to treat bipolar disorder and depression) from August 2010 to around January 2011 after an incident (I wouldn't really call it a "suicide attempt" but whatever) where I ended up voluntarily staying as an inpatient in a psychiatric unit at a local hospital for 3 days. I also used to self-harm, I stopped in Feb 2011. I've only once sought medical attention and that was at A+E where they never asked how it occured, but I'm pretty sure it never got back to my GP, so I'm quite certain it's not on my medical records.
Besides that I've had one other crisis team assessment, and that was after I got amazingly drunk last year and asked the police to shoot me (don't ask! it's a long story, before you ask, I wasn't arrested), the hospital decided to keep me in until I spoke to a doctor who then arranged for the crisis team to come around my house after I was discharged who I got rid of fairly quickly since I was fine.
Now, I'm pretty sure this all makes me out to be a headcase, I have obviously had some issues over the years, but I'm not looking for your opinion, so spare me the "Honey, I don't think you should......" style comments I'm just looking for hard facts and any constructive advice, regarding re-evaluations and how much I should admit on the medical. I want to avoid falling into a trap of giving too much information or giving information that's not even on my records without verging on actual fraudulant enlistment
According to the AFCO guidance notes and medical notes, it seems like as if I have a chance since I don't have more than two self-harm/suicide episodes on my medical record, I'm not on meds and I don't really have any mental disorder diagnosises, but I don't know. I'm really hoping for a time deferral at least.