Anxiety

[labonte1000]

Hi I'm am 10% disabled due to anxiety, I was not on any meds at the time of the rating, but recently filed an appeal to my letter within the one year time limit because my symtoms are getting worse. I am wondering by physc put me on paxil for anxiety/panic attacks, but also gave me wellbutrin for depression because she says 40% of all case anxiety cases become depressed becasue of anxiety. My questions is should i put in a seperate claim for depression since its caused by my anxiety or send in both meds as proof for my anxiety claim? Also if you had to guess what do you think my rating will be after they revaluate it, meaning will it go up from the 10% and if so how much do you think, if you had to guess? 20%, 30%, etc....

[Josephine]

Hi I'm am 10% disabled due to anxiety, I was not on any meds at the time of the rating, but recently filed an appeal to my letter within the one year time limit because my symtoms are getting worse. I am wondering by physc put me on paxil for anxiety/panic attacks, but also gave me wellbutrin for depression because she says 40% of all case anxiety cases become depressed becasue of anxiety. My questions is should i put in a seperate claim for depression since its caused by my anxiety or send in both meds as proof for my anxiety claim? Also if you had to guess what do you think my rating will be after they revaluate it, meaning will it go up from the 10% and if so how much do you think, if you had to guess? 20%, 30%, etc....

labonte1000,

This is only my opinion, my claim came under anxiety with depression.

You state at the time of your initial claim, you were not taking any

meds.

Is this correct?

With the new medication, I should think an increase should be in

order.

How this limits your everyday life and to what degree you have

anxiety with depression.

Remember, I am not a service Officer, and this is only my opinion,

Being my claim is for anxiety with depression.

Always,

Betty

Edited January 7, 2008 by Josephine

[Berta]

If the doc put down in your records that your anxiety has caused the depression-the VA could give you an overall rating to account for the depression and say it is secondary to your SC anxiety-

this is a remand and also includes PTSD as well as anxiety and depression-

They rate all mental disabilities the same way and not separately-

Here is the rating schedule- look under Mental disabilities to see how they rate:

http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/bookc.html#q

[labonte1000]

yes thats right betty, at the time of the claim I was not on any meds.

[Josephine]

yes thats right betty, at the time of the claim I was not on any meds.

labonte1000,

If you look at Berta's post, this will give you an ideal of how depression connects to the anxiety.

I would definitey expect an increase.

As I tell everyone, this is only my opinion, as I am not a Service Officer.

The Best to You!

Betty

Edited January 7, 2008 by Josephine

[Pete53]

You were lowballed and I will bet that the 40% is a low ball number also. Almost anyone who has anxiety and panic ends up with some form of depression I know it happened to me.

Are you able to work if so you should be 30% or 50% based on symptoms. If you can't work you should be 100% either by schedule or TDIU.

[timetowinarace]

I think you should file for the depression as secondary to the anxiaty if your care provider supports it. If awarded for the depression you will get one rating for both conditions based on your functional limitations for them. What the rating will be, I can't guess, but I feel your current rating is probably too low. Here is the rating criteria so you can decide for yourself where you fall. Hope it helps.

General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders:

Total occupational and social impairment, due to...............100%

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.......................

Occupational and social impairment, with.........................70%

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...........................

Occupational and social impairment with reduced.................50%

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...........

Occupational and social impairment with occasional..............30%

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)...........................................

Occupational and social impairment due to mild or...............10%

transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency

and ability to perform occupational tasks only

during periods of significant stress, or; symptoms

controlled by continuous medication...............

A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but.............0%

symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere

with occupational and social functioning or to

require continuous medication.....................

Edited January 7, 2008 by timetowinarace