Hello, I'm a submarine sailor who's been in for about 5 years. I started developing depression over the past couple of years after reporting to the boat. At the end of last year I started getting treatment with some amount of success, but followed with relapse. My performance started to slip, and I started making mistakes and decisions that got me in trouble. I went to NJP twice within three months of each other. The command gave me the boot with letters to separate me and disqualify me from my job. They sent me to a support command that has an "others" holding division (people for legal, admin, medical, etc). The squadron that oversees the boats asked other people I'd worked with about me, they said good things. Squadron wanted to send me back to another boat. Only problem is, I now had a medically disqualifying diagnoses of Major Depressive Disorder. So at that point my status in the holding division changed from "admin" to "medical."
I don't think my psychologist and I are on the same page. My previous psychologist is the one who ACTUALLY diagnosed me, and to be honest with you I don't think this new guy would have diagnosed me at all. Definitely feels like there is an agenda to send sailors back to boats over what's best for the person. So my psych has been getting pressure from my command on what they are going to do for me, because I've been with "others" for about 6 months. Yesterday at an appt with him he said it looks like I'm going to separate. I guess I misunderstood him because I thought he was talking about a 1910-120 medical admin separation, something that I see very often at "others." Many guys come off boats with various mental health diagnoses that get admin separated within a couple of months. I'm the only one I know with MDD. Turns out he actually referred me to a MEB.
I'm worried about going through with a MEB because I'll be stuck here for the better part of a year and I feel like the convening authorities that be will find me fit and just give me a different job (which just happened to someone I know). I've looked up the ratings and something important is that the disability has to be shown to be connected to a single event in the military service. I don't have this. It was more of a slow decline over a year and a half of being at that command. I tried discussing my concerns with my psych, but I don't think he understood me. He told me because I have a medical diagnoses, I need a MEB for a medical separation. I really can't tell if he even knows about the different admin separations, or if he thinks this is the best for me and I will be found unfit, or he just doesn't give a shit because he PCS's to Italy in a couple months.
Any advice? I was relieved at the thought of getting out and starting something new, but now I'm terrified of the next year of being in the military just waiting for bad news.
I don't think my psychologist and I are on the same page. My previous psychologist is the one who ACTUALLY diagnosed me, and to be honest with you I don't think this new guy would have diagnosed me at all. Definitely feels like there is an agenda to send sailors back to boats over what's best for the person. So my psych has been getting pressure from my command on what they are going to do for me, because I've been with "others" for about 6 months. Yesterday at an appt with him he said it looks like I'm going to separate. I guess I misunderstood him because I thought he was talking about a 1910-120 medical admin separation, something that I see very often at "others." Many guys come off boats with various mental health diagnoses that get admin separated within a couple of months. I'm the only one I know with MDD. Turns out he actually referred me to a MEB.
I'm worried about going through with a MEB because I'll be stuck here for the better part of a year and I feel like the convening authorities that be will find me fit and just give me a different job (which just happened to someone I know). I've looked up the ratings and something important is that the disability has to be shown to be connected to a single event in the military service. I don't have this. It was more of a slow decline over a year and a half of being at that command. I tried discussing my concerns with my psych, but I don't think he understood me. He told me because I have a medical diagnoses, I need a MEB for a medical separation. I really can't tell if he even knows about the different admin separations, or if he thinks this is the best for me and I will be found unfit, or he just doesn't give a shit because he PCS's to Italy in a couple months.
Any advice? I was relieved at the thought of getting out and starting something new, but now I'm terrified of the next year of being in the military just waiting for bad news.
