ptsd Hacked Off!

[clw4514]

had the 3rd and final appt today for ptsd eval. told her i mailed off my claim last friday for ptsd and she told me "dont be upset if they reject it. on ur final mhc appt, they sd u had adjustment disorder." im furious!!! first, im diagnosed ptsd after the mst, then 1.5 yrs later after absolutely no treatment, they say i have adjustment disorder??? u know, im starting to think i should have just drudged on being bat shit crazy! the more i get into this claim business, the more hacked off i get! she did also tell me that she has my file marked ptsd so that should help and she would do what she could for me. and she wants me to do CPT or something like that on top of the ptsd group and individual i already go to. isnt that a bit overkill? or is this really necessary? im on the verge of an anxiety attack from all this. i get 2 steps ahead and get drug 10 steps back.

just had to vent for a minute....now im gonna go cry!!!

[purple]

Many times ppl will get the BP dx after being given large doses of anti-depressants which can throw you into a mania phase...and a less than knowledgeable doc (i.e. most VA docs) will then slap the " Bi-polar" label on you. Along with symptoms of PTSD and there ya go.

[sgmdae]

Is that because the Doctor are not knowledgable about PTSD, and use to DX for Bi-polar, because they are comfortable with the Bi Polar DX

I just don't want to fall into the appeal, NOD, sydrome, it to stressful for me

I want to get some counseling with a PTSD group, this what I need. I have talk about it ver little

it time to let some of it go through conversation, the memory will always haunt me

[clw4514]

Is that because the Doctor are not knowledgable about PTSD, and use to DX for Bi-polar, because they are comfortable with the Bi Polar DX

I just don't want to fall into the appeal, NOD, sydrome, it to stressful for me

I want to get some counseling with a PTSD group, this what I need. I have talk about it ver little

it time to let some of it go through conversation, the memory will always haunt me

i cant speak for anyone else but after 20 yrs of avoidance, control, etc. group and individual has finally started making a dent in my emotional state. i was able to admit some awful things about my behavior over the last 2 decades, too. it hurt to come to terms with it but at the same time, i owned it. and to me, that equals control. i like being in control. so, over all it has taken a year for me to even see some relief in ptsd group and individual therapy. now they want me to try CPT in addition to these other two. apparently its supposed to make u relate ur feelings to ur actions or something.

i hope u get the counselling u need and want. have they not assigned u to a counselor or group yet? stay on them. stress how much u need it.

[sgmdae]

Med, see ya in two weeks, to see if they help

I think tomorrow I will take them all back

[sharon]

had the 3rd and final appt today for ptsd eval. told her i mailed off my claim last friday for ptsd and she told me "dont be upset if they reject it. on ur final mhc appt, they sd u had adjustment disorder." im furious!!! first, im diagnosed ptsd after the mst, then 1.5 yrs later after absolutely no treatment, they say i have adjustment disorder??? u know, im starting to think i should have just drudged on being bat shit crazy! the more i get into this claim business, the more hacked off i get! she did also tell me that she has my file marked ptsd so that should help and she would do what she could for me. and she wants me to do CPT or something like that on top of the ptsd group and individual i already go to. isnt that a bit overkill? or is this really necessary? im on the verge of an anxiety attack from all this. i get 2 steps ahead and get drug 10 steps back.

just had to vent for a minute....now im gonna go cry!!!

Abstract

Background: Although symptoms of anxiety as well as anxiety disorders commonly occur in patients with bipolar disorder, the pathophysiologic, theoretical, and clinical significance of their co-occurrence has not been well studied. Methods: The epidemiological and clinical studies that have assessed the overlap of bipolar and anxiety disorders are reviewed, with focus on panic disorder and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), and to a lesser extent, social phobia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Potential neural mechanism and treatment response data are also reviewed. Results: A growing number of epidemiological studies have found that bipolar disorder significantly co-occurs with anxiety disorders at rates that are higher than those in the general population. Clinical studies have also demonstrated high comorbidity between bipolar disorder and panic disorder, OCD, social phobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychobiological mechanisms that may account for these high comorbidity rates likely involve a complicated interplay among various neurotransmitter systems, particularly norepinephrine, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and serotonin. The second-messenger system constituent, inositol, may also be involved. Little controlled data are available regarding the treatment of bipolar disorder complicated by an anxiety disorder. However, adequate mood stabilization should be achieved before antidepressants are used to treat residual anxiety symptoms so as to minimize antidepressant-induced mania or cycling. Moreover, preliminary data suggesting that certain antimanic agents may have anxiolytic properties (e.g. valproate and possibly antipsychotics), and that some anxiolytics may not induce mania (e.g. gabapentin and benzodiazepines other than alprazolam) indicate that these agents may be particularly useful for anxious bipolar patients. Conclusions: Comorbid anxiety symptoms and disorders must be considered when diagnosing and treating patients with bipolar disorder. Conversely, patients presenting with anxiety disorders must be assessed for comorbid mood disorders, including bipolar disorder. Pathophysiological, theoretical, and clinical implications of the overlap of bipolar and anxiety disorders are discussed.

Edited July 31, 2009 by sharon

[Pete53]

Bi-polar disorder and symptoms have not been well studied by VA is bull crap. Translation is they don't want to use the info that is already available.