Originally Posted by
LocDog249
Thanks for the replies.
For the depression aspect, I will email my therapist and see what my exact diagnosis is. I didn't recall seeing depression as an automatic DQ. Do you know how long the "cooling off" period would be?
It is an automatic DQ. IIRC the "cooling off" period is at least six months, but that may be post-medication. If there's no meds, it might be sooner... but if your doc is dragging out your diagnosis to keep you on the hook, you're going to need to wrap that up, and get a medical evaluation showing that you have no active mental health issues.
Originally Posted by
LocDog249
I guess not knowing exactly how the medical works, I assumed I had to fill out the form and submit it, then meet with an AME but it sounds like that is not the case. So would I have an informal meeting with them first, and then the formal exam after I fill out the paperwork?
No, that is how the medical normally works. It's possible to consult the AME before you fill out the forms, but technically there's no such thing as "off the record" so anything you tell him, you have to assume the FAA will know.
A better option would be to pay an avaition medical consultant for advice on the way-ahead. They are typically *former* AME's so they know the drill but are generally not obligated to tell the FAA anything. Here's a popular one, you can google others:
https://www.aviationmedicine.com/