Hi everyone, another mental health question for you.
I just had my application rejected on medical grounds (antidepressant use for 24 months) and was wondering if I should try to appeal. My reasons for appealing would be that I haven't been symptomatic or medicated in two years, and am currently a healthy weight.
I was previously bulimic and had 2 episodes of self harm with about a year to 1.5 years in between them. The eating disorder developed while I was in school (I was tired of being called fat and have a tendency to overdo things) and wavered between peaks of severity over a few years, culminating in a leave of absence from university four years ago.
However, I was never hospitalised or dangerously underweight. I took antidepressants and underwent 12 sessions of CBT, and my last prescription for any psychiatric medication was two years ago. I consider myself recovered, and my last episode of self harm was over three years ago (or thereabouts.) I've maintained a healthy weight since then and have no issues with recurring symptoms or troubling thoughts- in fact I have reason to think that the medication I was previously prescribed only worsened my mental state. Since being off the meds I feel better and more stable than I ever did before.
I read the JSP-950 Annexe L and the guidelines for Bulimia, and am wondering if I need to wait for another two years before re-applying, or if I should even bother? In the guidelines on the army website it didn't mention eating disorders and implied just a 2-year period of recovery. I'm in my early twenties so it would be possible to hold off, but obviously I would prefer to apply sooner rather than later given that I'm about to graduate university.
Thanks, and apologies for oversharing!