Here's the story.  As a sophomore in college I attempted to join my school's Army ROTC program. I admitted right up front that I was on antidepressant medication; the staff sergeant told me this was an automatic dq.  I went away disappointed. After 
getting some more info I realized that the scenerio created at the ROTC 
didn't need to stand for all time.  The fact is that I misdiagnosed 
myself as a depressive (never been to a psychiatrist or hospital or psych 
ward), got meds from my physician, and stayed on them out of habit (and a desire to maintain positive sexual side effects!).  I don't even believe anymore that depression can truly be categorized as a medical condition, but that's another discussion. 


I've been off meds for quite a while now and am in perfect mental and 
physical health, and in good condition too.  I'd love to take another shot at joining the service, this time as a Coast Guardsman, but I've received conflicting advice on what tack to take with my unfortunate "medical" history.  My recruiter, through a complex series of word games, suggested not mentioning anything about it.  I have already been through MEPS and qualified without disclosing the information.

One Army vet and two Marine vets told me that 
they did not disclose info on their med forms, with no adverse results.  In fact, I would bet no one that I spoke to at the hotel before going through MEPS was planning on telling the truth on the med forms. 
A Lt. Colonel in the Army, though, recommended that I try to get a waiver; he seemed to be trying to tell me having my med history in the dark would be a bad idea because someone could use it to blackmail me. 


I'm 110% sure that I want to serve, and will be crushed if I can't, 
but I don't want to ruin my life over 
it.  Several of the individuals mentioned above say that I would have 
no chance of getting a waiver if I disclosed the info on the meds, and 
even if I did, the resulting time consumption and paperwork would not even be worth it, given that they wouldn't have cared anyway. 

Compicating things further is the fact that I will probably have to apply for a Secret Security Clearance.  I have passed FBI Background Checks (for guns) before, but how similar are the military's bg checks to them I wonder?

Lying about this makes my skin crawl, but if I told the truth, the military would label me mentally ill, which is also a lie.  So someone's not being honest no matter what.  It's a mess. 


So should I 
a) Present myself as a perfectly healthy individual (which I am) and 
run the risk of getting in 
deep trouble
or   
b) Avoid military service altogether?

Thanks a million for your time.

The military background investigators are nearly omniscient when it comes to your background. Top Secret and Secret Clearances mean most likely the investigator will be asking everyone about you including your dog.

Eric

Couldn't they just use your social security number to check into your medical history online. Civilians can use their social security number to check their own medical history online. Can they do that or would that be illegal.

my son was misdiagnosed with a heart condition 3 months ago from MEPS, I fought it with his recruiter. He was told in 3 months they will preformed an EKG , today nothing was done, but they added a Psych evaluation plus a cardiologist consult within a month or two. I am very upset with the doctors they have at MEPS.  My son never had a heart problem nor a murmur in hised. life.. Never seen a shrink for no reason.. Do they don't want him in?? very puzzled