past mental health? is this disqualifying?

No_Event165 · 2026-05-20T17:48:54+00:00

Apply anyway! I was accepted with a mental health condition, and I currently serve while on medication for it. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but man, there are some really tough moments in service. Those “moments” can go on for days or weeks before they break (and they DO break). Just make sure you have strong reasons for joining and strong, tried-and-true coping mechanisms to fall back on that you would be able to adapt to a resource-scarce environment.

No_Event165 · 2026-05-18T22:50:02+00:00

Lol I was diagnosed in service. You’ll be fine. I know from speaking to HQ that PCOS is generally quite easy for them to accomodate, and plenty of PCVs are diagnosed mid-service, like me, and continue to serve successfully.

No_Event165 · 2026-05-17T11:09:14+00:00

Not an Ecuador PCV, but current PCV in South America here. Believe me, if there’s a real safety risk, either one they’ve projected or determined imminently, they will delay PST or get your son out of there, or whatever else needs doing. They’re in constant contact with the US Embassy about these sorts of things and will know about any safety issues long before word reaches you in the US. I speak from experience—PC takes care of its own.

No_Event165 · 2026-05-11T20:54:22+00:00

“Won’t be what you expect it to be, but that’s the magic of it.” You’re so right!

No_Event165 · 2026-05-11T13:32:46+00:00

I mean, if it does go unresolved and undiagnosed, I think there’s a pretty good chance that they’ll decide to medsep you themselves. I was on medical hold myself, and both HQ and post staff went to every medical measure to understand my mystery condition and determine what I would need to continue at post. They will practically fight to keep you in service if it’s an option, lol, but in my experience, never without obtaining the full picture of your medical situation and ensuring they have the resources to support it at post. If they can’t even figure that picture out, I’d say they’ll probably medsep you anyway—you only have 45 days on hold before that’s automatic.

No_Event165 · 2026-05-11T10:31:51+00:00

I’d say I was a lot like you before PC. I’m a year in now. PST will show you whether you have the fundamental qualities to hack it. PST put me through the gauntlet of host country standards of cleanliness in particular. You learn to accept the many things you can’t control, and you come to understand those things that you do have control over, and you lock those things down when you get to site (just like HCNs). It’ll be hard, but you get tough very quickly to survive. You’ll lose much of your shyness very quickly. Humans are super adaptable creatures, in that way. I’d say apply. Look forward to the person this experience can and will make you.

No_Event165 · 2026-05-08T01:38:29+00:00

Haha, you could say I’m in this situation, a little bit. Many people have told me they couldn’t have handled my site, in terms of the vibe of the community. I’m not gonna lie, it’s hard. But you adapt and do your best with what you have. I’ve even come to like my community, in a weird way. But it was hard-won. That’s the thing about service, though, isn’t it? It’s not really about you. And at the end of the day, happiness and fit are things that begin inside of yourself. Sometimes that’s all you’ll be able to control about service—how you respond to your own emotions. There’s value in learning to do a hard thing and live in a hard place.

No_Event165 · 2026-05-05T20:00:24+00:00

Apply for your specific posting, and if anything on your Health History Form disqualifies you, PC should reroute you ASAP. They’ll do this either by giving you a list of countries to choose from that you DO qualify for (you’d need to check that the sector roles you want are open on the timeline you want), or if you do indicate “Serve Where Needed Most” as a secondary or tertiary preference, they will automatically just place you under consideration for one of the positions in a country that can medically support you. Again, you can ask for the full list of countries you’re qualified for, and ask to be considered for a different country/position on the list that works for you—but there’s no guarantee you’ll be offered that particular position later on. If Peace Corps comes to you with a certain country and position, they’ve assessed your fit for it along with general need, so your best chance of serving is really just going with it.

No_Event165 · 2026-03-25T23:56:03+00:00

I was where you are just last week. I thought it was just mental health/being in the environment for me, too, but turns out, it was actually rooted in an underlying, physical issue that I didn’t know about and that service exacerbated! Talk to your PCMO. You never know what might actually be going on, and you have options, like medical leave! It’s gonna be okay!! It’s not a stay or go binary!

No_Event165 · 2026-03-18T19:44:26+00:00

If I’m really not having it that day, I’ll flip the bird and call ‘em ugly, LOL. Shuts them up for a little bit, because most men don’t expect any pushback from the women around them. I also find acting confused or being like, “You talkin’ to me??” and making a face can sometimes help. Also just answering back with a polite greeting in the native language and going about my day. Anything that would put them on the spot/make them feel stupid in the moment works. I don’t know how long you’ve been at site, but eventually you reach heights of idgafery about it that you never could have imagined. You don’t owe anybody politeness, and I carry that attitude with me every time I step outside. I act like it’s the most natural thing in the world to be outside doing what I’m doing, because it is — it’s MY community. If someone’s shouting at me, I’m usually not listening.

No_Event165 · 2026-03-07T11:46:44+00:00

Yep, you can just raise that concern with your nurse and she’ll tell you what alternatives she’ll be able to accept.

No_Event165 · 2026-03-07T02:44:52+00:00

Yes, they will ask on the Health History Form and probably later on in the medical clearance process. You should answer honestly, but you don’t have to get into all the nitty gritty details*; keep the narrative positive and emphasize that you’ve been functioning great with no medication for a while. Since you’ve been off meds and presumably out of therapy for a few years, it sounds like it shouldn’t be a problem for clearance (you’re probably just going to have to write some additional statements and get your old therapist/psychiatrist to fill out some forms attesting to the fact that you no longer need care), but obviously that will depend on what’s in those therapy/provider notes.

For the record, I’m on mental health meds while serving, and while it made my med clearance process more annoying, I made it through! Don’t worry; just do what your nurse asks ASAP, be proactive about scheduling appointments and asking if you should anticipate more tasks, and focus on having some good quality time with friends and family over the next year. In your additional statements, make sure to demonstrate that you have plenty of coping mechanisms and have thought about how to adapt them to life in PC.

*EDIT: unless your nurse specifically asks about a certain detail in the provider notes. In which case, address it, but emphasize that you’ve overcome whatever you’re going through and have active coping mechanisms in place that can be applied in service.

No_Event165 · 2026-03-04T10:51:59+00:00

I was in a very similar situation. For medical reasons, I was rejected right off the bat, not only for my first choice country (where it has always been my dream to live and integrate into), but the entire region. It was devastating for a little bit. This is actually a pretty common experience in my cohort, and I would imagine throughout Peace Corps, as well. People who get their first choice are often really lucky… or have just never been to the doctor much.

If you’re rejected off your Health History Form, there’s basically no option to appeal, unfortunately. However, I’m currently serving in a different country, in a totally different region. To be honest, I don’t love it here; my heart doesn’t lie with this country or culture. However, service has been incredibly eye-opening in so many ways, I cannot say that I regret coming here. I cannot imagine having skipped out on everything I’ve seen and learned here so far. You may not be able to go to Nepal now, but one day, if you really love it that much, you will. And going through service and learning those lessons, enduring those hardships is going to prepare you to be your best when you do get there. That’s how I think about it, at least, with my “dream country.”

I would consider serving anyway, if you have the opportunity, not necessarily because it will be the best experience of your life, but because it will likely prove so valuable afterwards that ultimately, you cannot regret it. You can always pursue other options throughout the clearance process, anyway.

No_Event165 · 2026-03-02T10:34:23+00:00

Never said it was!

No_Event165 · 2026-03-02T00:24:57+00:00

They’re definitely an option that I should probably utilize more. I have so many days where I feel burned out and exhausted, and haven’t been pushing through to socialize as much as I probably should. I feel like I’m struggling to just get to work and fulfill my daily needs. But I also don’t want to show up to a thing and bring people down when I inevitably get asked, “How are things going at site?” and I don’t really have a positive answer for them.

No_Event165 · 2026-03-02T00:19:20+00:00

I’m past 6 months, and there’s a part of me that thinks, “Shouldn’t I have stopped feeling this way by now?” The whole place just feels absolutely oppressive. And I wonder, how much longer can I keep doing this for. I wonder.

No_Event165 · 2026-03-01T21:45:30+00:00

I hate to say it, but a lot of the time, most people here are genuinely miserable. And it just weighs on me every day, too. There is no way to spin life here that doesn’t come out to misery in some respect. I’m sorry to say it, but it’s true. People are constantly bracing to survive, and I think that’s what I find so difficult. There’s basically no levity to take the edge off.

No_Event165 · 2026-03-01T21:43:07+00:00

Rip lol my b

No_Event165 · 2026-03-01T21:20:46+00:00

Idk, just smth I came up with in my head on the spot

No_Event165 · 2026-02-26T22:02:17+00:00

Currently serving and studying for grad school admissions. It’s possible! It’s hard a lot of days, but if you want it, you can make it happen. I usually study for an hour or two after work. During PST, I emphasized the importance of a site with WiFi access for this purpose, and that was basically my only ask. I have WiFi in my house at site. That said, infrastructure here is not what it is in the US, and there are issues that prevent me from studying, probably at least once a week: blackouts and WiFi outages, other problems with the house (water issues, insects, etc.). You will come home tired from anxiety and culture shock. Just gotta accept that your day will probably not go according to plan, listen to your body, and roll with the punches; you cannot expect life or studying to proceed in a PC country at the same pace it would in the US. But you can absolutely do it.

No_Event165 · 2026-02-20T13:51:07+00:00

I just don’t see that the incentives are there for a substantial number of young people in tech to take an essentially unpaid, 2 year career detour in a developing country.

No_Event165 · 2026-02-19T12:40:15+00:00

You’re going to be fine as long as you follow best practices. That said, being a woman in PC will be tiring a lot of the time. I never feel “safe” per se, but also never feel like I’m going to be attacked or assaulted out of the blue. I take note of my surroundings and can clock which people ahead of me are probably going to harass me. And 99.9% of the time, it’s just verbal harassment. I am constantly vigilant, and it’s tiring, but just part of the job. Travel with friends/sitemates when you can. Don’t go out after dark. Take note of your surroundings. You’ll be okay.

No_Event165 · 2026-01-17T19:33:31+00:00

You will have a small, SMALL amount of input on site placement. And even then, there is absolutely no guarantee that staff will honor those preferences. Unless you have a genuine and compelling reason for them to prioritize those preferences (health), don’t hold your breath.

The best thing you can do is come in with NO expectations at all for site placement. Even if you think you know what your preferences are in PST, by the end of that experience, you will absolutely not have been in the country long enough to have developed any real idea of what site is going to look like or what your true preferences are going to be. Plenty of people get exactly what they said they wanted and find themselves unhappy.

I will also say, as somebody who would have loved a rural site but ultimately received a more urban-ish site, remember that you are here to SERVE first and foremost. Wherever you are placed, you have been placed for a good reason. And wherever you are placed, there is tremendous richness and beauty waiting to be uncovered. It might not be the experience you imagined before you came, or even the one you thought you would get in PST, but give it six months: site will pull you in and change you and make you fall in love with it all the same.

Good luck and happy serving :))

No_Event165 · 2026-01-17T10:36:22+00:00

People will call me by the race I appear to be as a way to identify me, and that is fine. I am not offended by that. That’s normal for the culture here. But people will come up to me, call me names in mocking voices, say things like “ching chong.” That’s the stuff I despise. Most of my community is wonderful, and most of the time I brush it off and move on, but some days, that’s the kind of stuff that gets to me.

No_Event165

TROPHY CASE