ADHD, Bipolar, and conviction

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I am currently 38 years old and had a tough childhood between the age of 15-19. Long story short during those years I had been on medicine for ADHD, Bipolar, as well as arrested for assault. I have not taken any medication nor seen a doctor about any of this since then. My assault charge has been expunged, but I have been reading here that I should still disclose it.


I joined the military at age 20 and am still currently serving with 18 years of honorable service and just about ready to retire. I wanted to pursue a second career in aviation but did not know any of this would get in my way until I started reading the forums after looking at the medexpress.


Do I have a chance at getting through this if I am honest about all of it and work with a HIMS AME? Or do all of these things combined make me a no-go?

I am not looking for a way to cover it up. Just opinions on if I should even try with all three of these things in my past. I am more than willing to go through all the hoops and spend whatever it takes, but only if I have a chance.


Thank you all in advance
 
The ADHD and Bipolar are going to be big problems, and you will have to prove that you don't have either. You might be able to get through it, but it will most likely be expensive and time-consuming. I would recommend sending @bbchien a note and explaining everything in painful detail to him. He will be able to tell you if and how you can be certified. His website is here: http://www.aeromedicaldoc.com .
 
ADHD+Bipolar+Conviction is going to be a HUGE problem. Expunction means nothing to the FAA. The FAA is going to see the conviction as potential of recurrence of the psychological disorder (overt acts). If you have a chance it will cost you. You will need testing both psychological and cognitive from FAA-approved specialists.
 
Thank you for your service. Sounds like the military did a great job of setting you straight.
 
Sport pilot is an option if you hold a driver's license and don't apply and get rejected for a medical certificate. I'm wondering if the same is true of becoming a sport-pilot instructor.
 
Guest said:
Long story short during those years I had been on medicine for ADHD, Bipolar, as well as arrested for assault. I have not taken any medication nor seen a doctor about any of this since then.
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The question is not what medication you were on but what you were diagnosed with. Do you know what you were actually diagnosed with?

Neither ADHD nor bipolar disorder are things you have for just a few years. Eighteen years of honorable service without treatment suggests that you don't have either condition. And I don’t know but can speculate, that they wouldn't have accepted you at the time if they thought you did.

So the question is, were you actually diagnosed with these conditions or were you just given some pills?
 
Lindberg said:
The question is not what medication you were on but what you were diagnosed with. Do you know what you were actually diagnosed with?

Neither ADHD nor bipolar disorder are things you have for just a few years. Eighteen years of honorable service without treatment suggests that you don't have either condition. And I don’t know but can speculate, that they wouldn't have accepted you at the time if they thought you did.

So the question is, were you actually diagnosed with these conditions or were you just given some pills?
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Unbridled youth with parents and society looking for a cause would look very similar. That long ago it was much more common to be labeled this way unfortunately.
 
Lindberg said:
Eighteen years of honorable service without treatment suggests that you don't have either condition.
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Alas, back ten years ago, that would be good enough for the FAA to disprove a childhood ADHD diagnosis.
 
Thank you all for the replies.

I had already sent an email to the gentleman y’all recommended before I made this post and have yet to hear a reply after about 48hours. I am hoping that he is just busy and not able to answer emails that quick.

I have a consult with my local AME today to talk about my medical history. I am hopeful he will give me some good news.

To answer the question or thought about how the military let me join, I did not disclose that information when I joined. I was 20 years old, didn’t care about the ramifications of lying and just needed to get out of my current environment, which turned out to be the best decision of my life. Honestly, I’ve never disclosed that part of my life to anyone. The only person that would have factually known was my mother, who is no longer here.

I still am not sure my main question has been answered. I know that I will have to do the testing. I know that it will cost money. I know it will take time. But before I waste my time, the question is do I have a chance?
 
Guest said:
But before I waste my time, the question is do I have a chance?
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That is for the AMEs such as Dr. Bruce Chien to answer.

All we can do is share information we have gained from participating in this forum.
 
From what I've gleaned from reading this forum, the Bipolar is going to be the biggest hurdle.

This forum has a "search" function -- the magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner. Use it to search for the word "bipolar" in posts by user "@bbchien", and you'll get this list:
https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/search/153702576/?q=bipolar&o=date&c[node]=13&c[user][0]=6
...which will give you an idea of the things he has told people in a similar boat. You'll find statements like:
"Seven federal air surgeons in a row have vowed to never certify any one who even vaguely might be bipolar", and attestations that he has only seen someone successfully overturn a bipolar diagnosis once or twice or something in his very long career.

Combining the bipolar with other issues will only complicate things further.

You'll find, however, that no one here is going to guestimate at your "chances". We're not prognosticators.
 
The key issue - was the ADHD and bipolar diagnosed, recorded on your medical history, then filed with an insurance agency and finally where is the paperwork with the pharmacy to get the meds?
 
murphey said:
The key issue - was the ADHD and bipolar diagnosed, recorded on your medical history, then filed with an insurance agency and finally where is the paperwork with the pharmacy to get the meds?
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This, yes, this.

If you don't know, you don't know. If you do know, you have to disclose it on your medical. I'm a tad older than you, but I certainly don't have any idea what I might have been diagnosed with at 15 years old.
 
flyingron said:
ADHD+Bipolar+Conviction is going to be a HUGE problem. Expunction means nothing to the FAA. The FAA is going to see the conviction as potential of recurrence of the psychological disorder (overt acts). If you have a chance it will cost you. You will need testing both psychological and cognitive from FAA-approved specialists.
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:yeahthat:

This is not the time for advice from SGOTI, however we'll-meaning. FAA Medical is a Zero Tolerance entity where once a diagnosis is made, it is up to you to prove it was wrong or no longer applies.
 
@kath is correct. Your chances can’t really be quantified by us, but they are extremely low.

But, remember that there are aviation careers besides being a pilot. You might consider flying for fun as a Sport Pilot (medical not required) and pursuing a non-flying aviation career. What skills and education do you have?
 
While you're getting advice from SGOTI, can you clarify whether you were actually convicted of the assault? Because you mention an arrest and a charge, but the thread title says conviction. If you weren't convicted, this wouldn't even be reported on your medical.
 
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