<p>Almost two years ago I had a complete mental breakdown, all told I had a total of six hospitalizations. I had been having serious problems for about 5 years before I finally blew a gasket completely; all of this IMO was precipitated by a bad divorce and pretty much everything I cared about falling apart. Regardless, when I was in the middle of my collapse, I was in the early stages of obtaining a Masters Degree in Public Health with a specialty in Epidemiology. </p>
<p>I had a lot of trouble getting any effective treatment, and the VA psychiatrist I was seeing after I lost my medical insurance pulled me off some of my medication. Results were bad; started having blackouts and ended up arrested for the first time in my life. I managed to pull myself together enough to explain the medical situation I was in but it was ignored. The situation got worse afterwards and resulted in a charge for assault on a public servant. </p>
<p>After all the details of the situation came to light (medical records and no criminal history), I was basically given a pass (deferred adjudicated probation for five years assuming I didn't have any more problems). Fast forward a year and a half, I've pretty much got myself back together. The only problem is anything even remotely in my plans as far as education, employment, even renting an apartment is severely hampered by the arrest record. </p>
<p>I would give just about anything to be able to resume and complete my education, but I cannot see how there would be much purpose in it if I cannot become employed afterwards. At the moment, I'm stuck in the middle: Overqualified for almost anything that would overlook an arrest record for that serious a charge, and not qualified for anything else that I could actually use my education and skill set for due to the arrest record.</p>
<p>I saw some slightly related questions on the net, and figured that I didn't have anything to lose by asking about it here. Does anyone have any possible useful advice for me other than stop wasting my time?</p>