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Buck52's Achievements
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Hi,
I have submitted an "intent to file" recently for PTSD/MST. Although I was diagnosed in the past for PTSD/Depression and anxiety my therapist has since closed her practice and relocated out of state. I have not been able to locate her or my records.
Having said that, I have a call this week scheduled to see a therapist at the VA to identify a therapy treatment plan (this is not the indepth eval. I don't think). I am confident they will diagnose me with at least PTSD/MST and anxiety.
My question is related to a future C&P. I had a full psych. evaluation (the kind that last for hours) at the VA two years ago that I had totally forgot about that was ordered by my VA neurologist when I was complaining of severe memory loss. I am sure I hid anything related to PTSD during that eval. as I have always lied and covered up at all costs my history of a sexual assault and anything symptoms related to that to any provider. I remember the psych. eval stating something about test revealed gross exaggeration of my memories issues with a final impression that likely my memory issues were due to anxiety and depression.
My question to you is if that full eval. will be held against a favorable outcome for my PTSD/MST claim? I have a police report of the assault and I am confident the VA pschy doc. will provide a diagnosis of PTSD/MST, but I worry that I didn't show in the eval I had two years ago.
My second question is ....my mother died (in a traumatic way) about three years ago and I have not been able to deal with her death and have had a severe increase in PTSD since her death. Information of depression and anxiety related to her death will likely show up in some of my medical records.
When I see the VA Pschy. for therapy in the coming weeks for my MST will the information about my mother's death work against my PTSD/MST diagnosis/claim if I mention that? I have had a severe increase of PTSD/MST sysmptoms since my mother's death. I know that her death triggered something major in me and my ability to cope with my past as it related to the MST, but I have read on these thread that mentioning certain life events can cause the C& P examiner to make a claim that other unrelated events caused the veteran's symptoms rather than the MST event. Would my mother passing be one of those situations that would be held against a SC for PTSD/MST?
Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
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Michigander.
Here is what they rate Mental Disorders By
General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders
Rating
Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as: gross impairment in thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name.100%
Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain effective relationships.70%
Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.50%
Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as forgetting names, directions, recent events).30%
Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication.10%A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication.0
9520 Anorexia nervosa
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IF you tell them you had a PTSD Evaluation by VA 2 years ago and it you never mention anything about the Rape...then you can explain why you did not...in denial or just embarrassed or ashamed but you have have finally decided to seek help and you need the help Bad..and give your Reasons ,
the VA will Re Evaluate you. and make there Diagnoses be-careful about being depressed ( PTSD is Depressive enough as it is) but they watch these things close and popped a MDD on you and not a PTSD Diagnoses.
you can have a PTSD Diagnose with unspecific depression disorders , but MST would be a Direct trauma event.
you probably were depressed when you lost your mom and I'm so sorry to hear that but anything the VA CAN FIND BEFORE YOUR MILITARY will go against you as for as claiming PTSD they will ask you about your childhood if anyone in your family was diagnose with PTSD...it has to be or had to happen while you were in the military.
& You Do.
you can study those Mental Disorders for rating Purposes and get a good Ideal of what they need. Just be honest with them VA MH Dept Dr's and LCSW's and be honest at your PTSD C&P Exam.
Do not make up things or it will come back to bite you in the rear! eh!
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Buck..the info. in this and your last response is very very helpful! I am so glad I found Hadit!! These posts are starting to shed the light so I am not alone and stumbling around in the dark...answered prayer. Wonder how I will be rated since I have a mixed bag of symptoms from all the individual rating categories. Thank you for taking time to give the feedback...I really appreciate it. By the way, is there a way to send a personal/private message to someone on here. There is a female MST veteran on here I would like to reach out to, but want the communication private...can you do that on here?