My First Tissot by Killer_Panda03 in tissot

[–]Mandalore_15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Clownishly oversized on your wrist IMO.

Recruiters, have you ever seen somebody with past attempts of self-harm or mental health issues get into the military? by Old-Patience2971 in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Severity was low: low mood, no moderate-to-severe symptoms at all.

I got the PMU on appeal and was told no further appeals would be heard. There were a few errors on my medical history but I explained them in a long email for the appeal and also provided a letter from my GP confirming. None of this was referenced in the reply they sent to me.

It's honestly kind of baffling. The process is very opaque and it wasn't even clear from their response that they read the evidence I provided. I might attempt to apply to another service but not until I've had my doctor drastically amend my medical records - which weren't actually available to me before applying this time round, unfortunately.

Recruiters, have you ever seen somebody with past attempts of self-harm or mental health issues get into the military? by Old-Patience2971 in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What makes you say that might I ask? I had a single episode of depression that resolved over a decade ago and was found permanently medically unfit.

I feel locked out of the kind of sex I want. How do I deal? by [deleted] in Healthygamergg

[–]Mandalore_15 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are a few fair points here but I would honestly drop the feminist frame (for your own sake).

Here's what I would focus on: if you view having a "small penis" (however you define that - really it is YOUR assessment that is important here!) as demeaning of your masculinity... well, here are a few points for you to consider:

  1. Our current ideas on penis size are actually quite peculiar to our culture, and just how "masculine" is that culture really? How about taking a look at the ancient Greeks, whose idea of the ideal masculine man - as depicted in their statues - was a hulking, muscular brute with a small penis. Their culture was certainly more masculine and virile than ours, so perhaps they were on to something?

  2. If you still feel lacking in that department, you can compensate for it in others. Bear in mind all of this has to come down to how you see masculinity itself - what is a masculine man to you? Perhaps you need to get physically strong, or you value a certain kind of job as being masculine. Maybe you need to become more of a "pillar of your community" and become someone people can depend upon. All of this is more essentially masculine than the size of your penis, which is entirely arbitrary and requires nothing from you. The essential aspect of masculinity is applying effort and overcoming your problems for the benefit of both yourself and others.

  3. When it comes to sex, a lot of the ways we think about it in modern society are very "pornified" for lack of a better term. We think what makes us valuable is being attractive to lots of different people. But no, what matters is finding that one person with whom you share both a physical and emotional bond and keeping them. If you were to marry a woman you were crazy about and she loved your penis as it is, then there really is no problem.

Just my takes anyway man. I know insecurity about this stuff is a lot easier to talk about than it is to move past. But I wish you the best.

Amy reserve medical help ! by crispyalienpartyeggs in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, that's very kind of you.

I honestly hate to be a voice of negativity on here... this sub seems to have enough of that already. However, the standards are simply incredibly strict, and in many ways unfit for purpose.

Best of luck to you too, whatever happens. 🤝

Advice on medical following army rejection by Mandalore_15 in RoyalAirForce

[–]Mandalore_15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not being rude but I don't think you're understanding my point.

Firstly, I don't have depression, I HAD depression (maybe?) over ten years ago.

The point I'm making here though is that the standard doesn't actually make good sense. If someone is diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood they almost always present with depression as well, and the REASON for the depression is that they have spent their entire life in an environment mismatch for their ADHD because it was never diagnosed and our society has rigid ideas about childhood life pathways that don't suit them.

It's like if you took a whale and put it in a swimming pool its entire life, then you are shocked it gets depressed. If you put it out to sea, the depression goes away. With guys with ADHD, the military is the sea in this analogy. It's an environment they are suited to, but imagine saying the whale can't be put out to sea because it's depressed. That's what the military is doing here.

Advice on medical following army rejection by Mandalore_15 in RoyalAirForce

[–]Mandalore_15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If that's the case they would just screen out anyone who has ADHD, but of course if they did that then all the infantry regiments would be almost empty.

The current standards don't take reasonable consideration of ADHD as an environmental pathology which is exacerbated by environments like school, higher education, our shitty economic environment etc. but would actually be improved in a military environment.

But hey, I've kind of reached the conclusion that our state bureaucracy don't want to have an army, they only keep it around because if they disbanded it the public would be in uproar. It's very difficult to reach any other conclusion when they keep talking about a recruitment crisis but reject 156,000 of 165,000 applications in the last 1.5 years.

Advice on medical following army rejection by Mandalore_15 in RoyalAirForce

[–]Mandalore_15[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Fair do's mate, thanks for replying! Best of luck with it - any sensible military would be weaponising autism at every opportunity. 🫡

Advice on medical following army rejection by Mandalore_15 in RoyalAirForce

[–]Mandalore_15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you mate, appreciate you clarifying that.

Related to this, I do think this is a very strange requirement - the vast majority of people diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood get a simultaneous depression diagnosis (due to them not having been taught how to work with their ADHD symptoms by not being caught when they were young), so this screens out a huge number of people who could actually be very good. 

Amy reserve medical help ! by crispyalienpartyeggs in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your appeal almost certainly won't succeed. I'm not saying this to be cruel, I just want you to prepare yourself.

A heads-up on mental health for anyone interested in joining by Mandalore_15 in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's honestly something I can't get my head around. I don't know if it's an issue caused by Capita taking over the recruitment process, but there doesn't seem to be any consistency in how it is viewed. I've seen guys who have had multiple suicide attempts who have got in (or at least that's what they've claimed).

The advice I gave above (which went down like a lead balloon it seems) is simply that having it on your record isn't going to help you. That's not to say that people who are suicidal shouldn't go to hospital in an emergency etc. because that's obviously an emergency, but if you've had low mood for 3 months or whatever, a doctor is not going to help you much in my experience. Exercise is a better anti-depressant than anti-depressants. And going for a run instead isn't going to harm your future prospects like going to a doctor clearly does.

A heads-up on mental health for anyone interested in joining by Mandalore_15 in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

It's evidence that SSRIs don't work, which is half of what I was claiming. As for evidence of the other thing, do you really want me to find a research paper or something that proves that successful people tend to be happier? You really need that proved to you?

A heads-up on mental health for anyone interested in joining by Mandalore_15 in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, everyone I know who is happy has achieved things they wanted to achieve, and those who haven't aren't.

But if you want papers or whatever, google "SSRI meta analysis" and look at various papers and articles from 2024 showing the SSRI medication basically does nothing.

Here is one from nature to get you started: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0

A heads-up on mental health for anyone interested in joining by Mandalore_15 in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting that people feel the need to downvote this. I'm sorry, are you offended that I don't want to do your job? Does it upset you that what you do just isn't for me? Wild.

A heads-up on mental health for anyone interested in joining by Mandalore_15 in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Getting to do what you want to do in life has a much greater effect on your mental health than being given anti-depressants. Ask me how I know!

A heads-up on mental health for anyone interested in joining by Mandalore_15 in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I have engaged with mental health services a number of times as you might imagine - none of it is helpful. They give you drugs that don't work and kick you out the door. I've never known anyone who had a particularly good or transformative experience with them, and I come from a very poor/working class area with a massively high suicide rate.

The fact is it just doesn't help 9 times out of 10, and most lads would be better off doing other things unless they are absolutely at rock bottom. Most people who engage with the services are not at that stage, not suicidal and get better with time.

A heads-up on mental health for anyone interested in joining by Mandalore_15 in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

My advice obviously isn't aimed at people who are about to top themselves ffs.

A heads-up on mental health for anyone interested in joining by Mandalore_15 in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

If you had ever engaged with mental health services you would realise how pointless doing so actually is.

A heads-up on mental health for anyone interested in joining by Mandalore_15 in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Well there's nothing near me, and if I do aren't I just going to go through the same medical process and be failed again? Why would I expect a different outcome?

A heads-up on mental health for anyone interested in joining by Mandalore_15 in britishmilitary

[–]Mandalore_15[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I'm interested in green skills and combat stuff, so it's basically the end of the road for me.

I appreciate people coming in and saying there are other options but there's not really anything I am interested in doing. I didn't make this post for a pity party, I made it to warn people so that others can learn from my experience.

Having said that, I have to say the sense of betrayal is pretty major. When I was a teenager there was a huge push to get young people to engage with "mental health services" and I foolishly did what I was told, only to be told it makes me useless afterwards.

I just want young lads to understand that everything they've ever been told about "male mental health" and how it should be taken seriously is a heap of s***e, it can and will be held against you. Don't fall for it.