I'm wondering how strong of a case I have

[hemipepsis5p]

Hello everyone,

So I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about 2 years after I got out of the Army (left Army in November 2011, diagnosed in Jan 2014). While I was in the Army, after my second deployment, I'm very certain I entered a hypomanic state (I was having racing thoughts, pressured and rapid speech, grandiose thoughts, and a decreased need for sleep). I know now what hypomania feels like because it happens to me every so often and I have to have my medication dosage increased.

The details are that basically after my second deployment my buddies and I came back from Iraq, and most of them were stop-lossed and ended up leaving 1-2 months after we returned. I was basically on my own in a whole new platoon and really just fell apart. This is documented on my post-deployment health assessment, where I asked to see a therapist and documented my drinking problem and the problems I had been having with irritability and whatnot. Also, I specifically remember having a plan to move to New Haven, CT and write a philosophy book which would make me famous and help me get into Yale once I impressed Yale professors at book signings. It's really pretty embarassing to admit that and I know now that I was completely delusional. I still had 6 months left on my contract when I was forming plans like this, and I was drinking up to 1/5 of Jim Beam per night starting at 6pm and ending at 2am, chugging a bunch of water, stuffing my face with food, then racking out until 5:50am and getting up for PT and doing a full, normal day on 4 hours of sleep. This went on for about two months until my PLSGT caught wind of how much I was drinking and I ended up cutting back. I remember having tons of energy and being very irritable. The anger and drinking problems are on my PDHRA.

After I got out of the Army, I entered a bout of moderate depression and saw some VA psychiatrists. I was tested for ADHD, diagnosed with OCD and depression, and put on an antidepressant. I believe that this made me hypomanic again (when a bipolar person is given a regular anti-depressant, that is, an SSRI, the medication typically causes rapid onset of hypomania/mania, sometimes even resulting in hospitalizations), and about 2 months after being on Prozac I dropped out of college and moved to Connecticut with the idea of becoming a world famous chef. A few of my friends lived in CT and one of them worked at a restaurant. Iron Chef (the old, Japanese one) has always been one of my favorite shows, cooking was my biggest hobby, and I was confident that one day I would be as good as Iron Chef Sakai or Iron Chef Kenichi, my two favorites from the show, or Gordon Ramsay, who is still one of my idols. When a cooking job didn't materialize, I ended up going to college for psychology and gained a boatload of insight into my condition, and suffered through horrible anxiety, depression, and alcoholism until I finally went to a general provider for it (the depression, mainly). He prescribed me an antidepressant and told me to meet him in a week. I came back a week later feeling absolutely amazing, with the same symptoms I had had way back in the Army and back when I decided to pursue being a chef; racing thoughts, grandiose delusions, rapid speech, irritability, etc... He told me "Wait here, I'll be back in a little bit..." and he left and closed the door and I heard his muffled voice along with a female colleagues and she sounded very concerned. He came back in and told me I wasn't supposed to feel much of anything until the 6-week mark, and he is 100% certain that I have bipolar disorder, and I need to find a psychiatrist. I did just that, and am now a happy camper (compared to being suicidal, lol) making his way through undergrad for a computer science degree.

It's been 2 years now since I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, but I vividly remember having the symptoms back on active duty. I requested my complete VA medical history and they sent it to me, but this was years ago, and I do remember my first psychiatrist had written in his notes "observe for possible hypomania." That was about 5 months after I had left the Army, and that was when he started me on the Prozac. I have requested my complete medical record once again and plan on "putting together my case."

I guess my question is "What are the odds of me getting my bipolar disorder connected to my service?" I'm looking to start the disability process as my treatment is really expensive and I've finally stopped feeling ashamed about all this.

[broncovet]

You can better evaluate your chances than we can as we dont have access to your records.  

Check to see if your records include these 3 things:

1.  Current diagnosis.

2.  In service event or stressor.

3. Nexus, or Dr.'s link between the two.  A nexus should say something close to:

The Veterans Bipolar disorder is at least as likely as not due to xx event in military service.  

If you have all three of these Caluza elements DOCUMENTED, then your claim should eventually suceed.

If you are missing one or more of the above, you can count on a denial.   If you are mising, say a nexus, you can often provide that with a medical opinion from a private physician.  

[Fat]

I agree with broncovet  100%.

And I would add, get to your nearest VA Hospital and get treatment started.

[ArNG11]

On February 27, 2016 at 1:48 PM, TALON II FE said:

As far as the PTSD diagnosis part, I asked bc I thought maybe I was overlooking a benefit.  It seems everyone wants a PTSD diagnosis recently and I was trying to understand why.  I am worried about them trying to take my guns bc of my PTSD rating and I can't get a concealed carry permit anymore.  It sucks.  I wish they had just left it as chronic adjustment disorder or MDD.  I actually had a friend in Ohio, also former SOF, who has PTSD and had his front door kicked in and was tazered in his living room in front of his 3 small children by the ATF bc he "owned too many guns".  He was building custom railed AR15's and they did this.  He had a total of 11 guns. I am glad for now that I live in Texas.

This sounds so familiar. Scary even. I had a bud who did the same.  Wow. sounds unreal. This wasn't in the 45th INF? I mean he wasn't from the 45th INF?

On February 27, 2016 at 1:39 PM, TALON II FE said:

hemi, you are making an association between compensation and treatment, I think.  I think that is natural but incorrect.  Think of all of your dealings with the VA concerning Compensation as a LEGAL process instead.  That is really what it is, essentially. They will never separate out each mental condition and rate them individually, that would be pyramiding.  Instead, they lump it all together, and rate it off of the DBQ based on your symptoms.  Hope this helps!

Sad but true.

Get help Hemipepsi5p., this can be managed and the highs and lows can be brought under control.  "Hablas espanol amigo?"

 

[TALON II FE]

No, different guy, but that just shows it wasn't an isolated incident.  The guy I know was simply building them as a hobby, and selling them legally at gun shows, etc.  He never 'hid' anything, nothing like that.  The NRA offered to, and has, provided an attorney and has paid all fees, or it honestly would be unaffordable for us as average citizens to be able to pursue litigation.  They have been promising him "a private island" when the case is settled, but that could be never.  These things are happening, they are not some "facebook meme" so most don't believe it, I guess.  Mention the NRA to your friend, maybe they will be able to help him as well.

[ArNG11]

That's interesting, an island, wow.  My apologies for rambling.  Meds got the best of me this evening.  It sounds like you have plenty of inservice symptoms and records of those symptoms.  I think that is the key part of your claim.  Besides having symptoms now and ongoing treatment you have Continuity of care.

You are not a doctor so you can't self diagnose, however, you can attest to symptoms and the severity of your  symptoms.  With your records confirming these facts you will be in better shape. At this point I believe Bronco hit your defense pretty much on the head. Don't narrow yourself to a specific mental diagnosis, leave it as general as you can, a mental health condition.  Also getting the medical nexus to tie your problems in service and the relationship to your problems now should help.

Talon is also correct the VA will rate it off the symptoms. That will be your bread and butter.

In my case the VA changed the diagnosis, however, it is the symptoms, severity of symptoms, and continuity of care that makes the difference.  Hope I made sense and at least made it clearer than mud.  JMO