Military Families Support Group

I think you should get help for self mutulating, then worry about enlisting.

You can't help others when you can't take care of yourself. Good luck!

You most likely wouldn't get in after the psych evaluation.

Please don't enlist...it will only magnify your issues. There are many different people and authority figures everywhere to interact with and it is much like high school on steroids for your first year...good luck to you.

like i consider myself mentally stable. i dont do it because of stress from dealing with ppl im actually prety good with ppl. ill admit i have done it to cope with anxiety and depression. but now when i do it its because i like the pain and the rush

Take this as you will, it doesn't matter to the military (from my understanding) if YOU think you are mentally stable, you will undergo a complete mental evaluation, that will be ONE of MANY factors as to whether or not you get in. I believe a lot of (younger) people have this belief that the military will "just take you". I used to self-harm, so I know the thoughts behind your "reasoning" for doing it. If you are serious about joining, ask around, call different branches and ask what a mental evaluation entails, it's an honest question.

what do your scars look like? are they really obvious? if it looks like you're a self harmer they'll make you get a psych eval, and if the shrink thinks you self harm, they'll DQ you. if your scars aren't bad, mine aren't, then id consider instituting a don't ask don't tell policy. no one ever asked me if i SI'd, so i never had to lie about it. however, you need to think about this REALLY carefully before you decide to do it. you need to get this addiction under control first. i quit SI a while ago and im doing really great which is the only reason why i felt it was acceptable to do this. if you're still struggling with this, then maybe you need to consider getting help instead.

If you're bound and determined to join the marines, you need to first work on the self mutilation. You said that you do it as a way to deal with stress and anxiety, well honey, the marines ARE stress and anxiety. Bootcamp is one of the hardest things you will ever do, and if you're caught self mutilating, you can be dishonourably discharged and/or NJP'd (Non-Judicial Punishment) for defacing government property (yes, if you enlist, you WILL be considered government property for the duration of your stay). Plus, if you have to hurt yourself to deal with stress and anxiety, how will you be able to cope in combat situations where you're under high amounts of stress and anxiety for MONTHS at a time? I applaud your decision to join the marines, but PLEASE fix your self mutilation first, it will only lead you to trouble. And, as much as I hate to turn to this, if you're willing to cut yourself when you're stressed or anxious, what's to stop you from killing yourself if things become overwhelming either during or after a combat tour? We lose more troops due to suicide than enemy fire because of the stress and anxiety of combat, you need to get your head on straight before you sign up to protect the lives of other people.

Plus, there are better ways to get a rush than hurting yourself. I honestly don't think that you would pass a psych eval prior to bootcamp if you're hurting yourself just for a rush of adrenaline, go talk to a therapist, then talk to a recruiter.