Background question.

[Wisbith]

First off, I just want to thank you for taking time to answer my question.

I am nine-teen years of age and I am about half way through my college training in Criminal Justice. I intended to start applying to local police agencies around this time next year (maybe even sooner). Around the age of six-teen I was put on anti-depressants. When I was seven-teen I had a very very bad year and had one incident that I hope isn't going to affect my chances to be hired. Around February of 2006 I did a very stupid and irrational thing. I over dosed on Tylenol. I was never intending to or wanted to commit suicide I just did it for attention and was the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life (Starting puberty late didn't help the situation either). I never want to repeat something like that in my life.
I was admitted to hospital for a week. After about a month or two out of the hospital I got off the anti-depressants and haven't felt depressed since. I have never taken an illegal drug have never been in trouble with the law other then one traffic violation when I was 18. I'm not worried about the traffic violation because I don't speed and don't do anything stupid, so I'm not going to get another. Basically to sum it all up and get point of this post and my question, seeing as this happened as a minor will they search back that far and if so is this going cause me to not get hired?
By the time I am interviewing this would have been about half a decade in the past. Are they going to take that into account?

Thank you once again for taking time to answer and read my very long and probably overly detailed post. I'm just trying to put everything on the table and see what my chances are.

[Citicop]

First off, I just want to thank you for taking time to answer my question.

I am nine-teen years of age and I am about half way through my college training in Criminal Justice. I intended to start applying to local police agencies around this time next year (maybe even sooner). Around the age of six-teen I was put on anti-depressants. When I was seven-teen I had a very very bad year and had one incident that I hope isn't going to affect my chances to be hired. Around February of 2006 I did a very stupid and irrational thing. I over dosed on Tylenol. I was never intending to or wanted to commit suicide I just did it for attention and was the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life (Starting puberty late didn't help the situation either). I never want to repeat something like that in my life.
I was admitted to hospital for a week. After about a month or two out of the hospital I got off the anti-depressants and haven't felt depressed since. I have never taken an illegal drug have never been in trouble with the law other then one traffic violation when I was 18. I'm not worried about the traffic violation because I don't speed and don't do anything stupid, so I'm not going to get another. Basically to sum it all up and get point of this post and my question, seeing as this happened as a minor will they search back that far and if so, is this going cause me to not get hired?
By the time I am interviewing this would have been about half a decade in the past. Are they going to take that into account?

Thank you once again for taking time to answer and read my very long and probably overly detailed post. I'm just trying to put everything on the table and see what my chances are.

Yes, they will find it. Yes, they will take it into account.

Is it a dealbreaker? There's only one way to find out, and that's apply.

Citicop.

[DeltaV]

It will be taken into account. Many psychological problems are never truly "cured," so someone who was susceptible to depression at one time could be susceptible to it again if similar stressors appear in their life. That won't always happen, but it's possible.

Your prior psychological history will be something you must disclose and will be something questioned about during the polygraph exam and the psychological exam. Whether or not it will make you ineligible for hire depends on the results of the psychological exam and what the department's psychologist thinks.

[retdetsgt]

It will be taken into account. Many psychological problems are never truly "cured," so someone who was susceptible to depression at one time could be susceptible to it again if similar stressors appear in their life. That won't always happen, but it's possible.

Your prior psychological history will be something you must disclose and will be something questioned about during the polygraph exam and the psychological exam. Whether or not it will make you ineligible for hire depends on the results of the psychological exam and what the department's psychologist thinks.

+1

If it was a just a stunt you pulled, you'll probably be okay, but I wouldn't put all my eggs in the LE basket if I were you. It will be of significant concern to any dept. You might not have really planned to commit suicide, but in my tenure, 6 cops I worked with did.

[Wisbith]

Of course I'm not going to lie. I'm going to be 100% truthful about any questions they ask. I'm sure one of the questions that will come up will be "why did you do this." And I'll tell them that it was for attention and it was a stupid irrational thing that's not going to be repeated. Obviously it's going to be in better form then that. As long as I do well on my psych exam hopefully it won't be a problem. Law Enforcement is a career I can get excited about and not wake up every day and think to myself "I hate my job." Hopefully it turns out well for me. If I have to start at a really small department and work my way up, so be it.

Thanks everyone for your answers.