3rd Class Medical, a Past with Depression

[GarbageCannot]

Started flight training, but have to do a flight physical.

The problem: a past with depression.

I dug up what medical history I could dig up, and found out during the Spring of 2014 I had seen counselors for graduate school stress as well as a depression, as well as a months prescription for Zoloft (although I never took it). The condition resolved itself after graduating the following year, but I never received an assessment that I had normalized. (I remember going to counseling and medication for depression around 2010, but according to the clinic all my medical paperwork there was recently destroyed and I couldn't get an official record no matter how hard I tried to dig for it).

I'm 31 now and had forgotten about those parts of my life until filling out my flight physical paperwork, and for what it's worth have felt consistently and reasonably fully functional. If anything, I'm absolutely embarrassed that my medical history has brought up a past I thought I was long over, and ashamed that I may have to go through tons of unnecessary hoops if I want to be honest.

I currently don't have an appointment scheduled with an AME (cancelled after he said he didn't do consults) and my paperwork hasn't been submitted, but I'm strongly considering seeing an HIMS AME an hour away who can hopefully tell me what I need to do in order to be honest yet make the piles of paperwork, waiting, and thousands of dollars a little less painful. Right now I want to get a PPL and Instrument rating, but leave the option open for commercial.

Half vent, half stupid question, but am I doing this right? If there's a silver lining it's that I'm thinking of this now rather than much later down the road, and that I'm in the fortunate position to financially afford the extra steps that may come my way.

 

[GaryM]

Half vent, half stupid question, but am I doing this right? If there's a silver lining it's that I'm thinking of this now rather than much later down the road.

You are absolutely doing it right, in that you haven't submitted your paperwork yet. This gives you options, and a valuable chance to do the next steps correctly.

Dr Chien and others more knowledgeable than I will be along shortly with the details.

 

[bbchien]

You are doing this correctly. You wnat to serve an "ACE" on your first round or forever be bedraggled with demand letters for the next inquiry, on limited time lines frorm the agnecy on threat of denial.

To be credible (Substantiated, not jsut 'asserted"), you need a forensic psychiatrist's detailed history, (with your old records) , and his current assessment. This isn't cheap but welcome to aviation.

 

[GarbageCannot]

To be credible (Substantiated, not jsut 'asserted"), you need a forensic psychiatrist's detailed history, (with your old records) , and his current assessment. This isn't cheap but welcome to aviation.

Would it be recommended to see a forensic psychiatrist first and obtain their documentation, or to first consult an HIMS AME with the steps that you recommend?