ptsd Ptsd?

[cooter]

I was injured during a parachute landing 34 years ago in the service and it wasn't in a combat zone. My question is since I have alot of the symptoms of PTSD including, anxiety and panic atacks, depresion, hypertention, angry spells, and nightmares of falling and falling. the dreams aren't falling from a parachute but stupid things like off of a building, over a cliff, over a bridge, ect. Could this be part of PTSD?

[cooter]

You need to get the discharge exam and see exactly what it says about anxiety. Separation anxiety usually refers to being away from significant persons in your life. It is a common diagnosis during the first year of military service. If there is any mention of symptoms of hyperventilation, or physical discomfort the exact etiology given by the examiner may not be that important.

Do the civilian treatment records go back to within one year of discharge? If not how much time went by before the post service symptoms are noted by clinicians?

This type of information is not required for PTSD. However, there is a possibility that you had symptoms during the military or within the one year presumptive period that can be linked to a current Axis I diagnosis.

The veteran I recently had service connected for panic disorder filed a claim for PTSD. However, the only post service diagnosis the guy had was for panic attacks and panic disorder. It never occurred to the guy's service officers to read the SMR and see if there was a more direct way of determining an anxiety disorder in the military. The SMR had seventeen pages covering a year and a half from 1975 to 1977 of chronic symptoms of panic disorder. The service organizations and the VA raters ran the veteran around for five years. Before I got involved his claim was denied four times without a C&P exam. I guess nobody told the SO's and raters that DSM II diagnoses were obsolete and that when there is significant details of symptoms that meet the DSM IV criteria for an Axis I diagnosis that a new diagnosis can be assigned based on a review of the old records.

Most people with panic disorder can relate it to stressful events. Panic disorder did not exist in the DSM prior to 1980. So it is important to see what symptoms were noted in association with whatever diagnosis they gave you.

Right now I would say it is very plausible that you could have either a PTSD claim or an anxiety disorder claim. Keep me posted.

Good to see you back Hoppy! What I mean't was the examiner was saying I was getting anxious of getting out of the service instead of me having anxiety attacks.

My copy of the exit exam shows where he marked on the psychiatric box abnormal but changed it to normal and told me about being anxious getting out. That told me

he was thinking about what I said. Now as far as my civ med records, they show my symptoms from 1991 to present. The day I got out in 1976 to 1990 records are

absulete cause my old hmo ins. co. only keeps them for 10 years. But from 1991 to now my records show my symptoms. The fact I got out 3 months after the incident

didn't really give me time to address it at a military clinic. AND the fact I don't have my med records from 1976 to 1990 wil probably hurt the claim.

[Hoppy]

There are some problems with the missing records and lack of development of anxiety noted on the discharge exam. However, I have seen cases where weak evidence is allowed when there is a consistency throughout the record that is believable.

With this in mind what you said to the doctors in the reports that were available in 1991 could be given weight. If the records contain comments relating your symptoms back to the time you were in the military or right after discharge a qualified clinician could review those old records at this time and make a determination that considering the severity of the accident in the military and the reference to anxiety on your discharge exam that the recorded history of your symptoms is credible. Of course the report would have to establish a link that any reference to anxiety on the discharge exam cannot be attributed specifically to a provisional assessment of separation anxiety and it is more likely than not that the anxiety which occurred in the military is related to or early symptoms of recurrent mental condition.

You will probably run into service officers who would not give my arguments any chance of succeeding. However, in the last 15 years I've probably read somewhere between 500 and 1000 BVA cases involving mental conditions. Have the service officers read what I posted below. The veteran served on active duty from October 1967 to October 1969. The claim was awarded 36 years after discharge. It appears that he didn't even start post service treatment until about 30 years after discharge.

______________________________________________

Two doctors have diagnosed the veteran with a panic disorder. The veteran has received treatment for a panic disorder for several years. The record clearly establishes the first requirement of service connection--that the veteran currently has a panic disorder disability. There is conflicting evidence about whether the veteran incurred his panic disorder during active military service. The veteran's service medical records contain no indication that he had a psychiatric condition during service. His exit examination also is silent as to any psychiatric conditions. And while the veteran states that he received treatment within two years of separation from service, neither the veteran nor the RO could obtain the treatment records from the veteran's physician. On the other hand, two doctors have specifically stated that the veteran's current panic disorder is related to his active military service. Service connection may be granted for any disease diagnosed after separation when all the evidence establishes that the disease was incurred in service. 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(d). If evidence sufficiently demonstrates a medical relationship between the veteran's in-service experiences and his current disability, it follows that the veteran incurred an injury in service. See Godfrey v. Derwinski, 2 Vet. App. 352, 356 (1992). From their discussions with the veteran about his experiences during service, both doctors determined that his current disability stemmed from his active military service.

Other evidence in the record supports the doctor's opinions. The veteran himself testified that, immediately following service, he was subject to panic attacks that became so severe he sought medical treatment. His wife testified that right after the veteran's active service, he had trouble breathing, one of the symptoms of his panic disorder. He was also very nervous after his service. She testified that before he went in the Army, he did not manifest those symptoms. Thus, the second requirement for service connection is met on this record.

ORDER Service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, including a panic disorder, is granted. Citation Nr: 0627773 Decision Date: 09/05/06 Archive Date: 09/12/06

Edited August 15, 2010 by Hoppy

[Wings]

Thank you Hoppy, For your detailed, thoughful --and well researched contributions. You are a gold mine. ~Wings

[Testvet]

I would think the hospital at Fort Benning would still have the inpatient records if you were hospitalized there I found records of mine at Fort Gordon in 2002 of the time I was in DDEAMC in 1978 they even still have the x rays....... I don't know how often they purge the files or how long they are supposed to keep them they don't treat medical records the same way civilian doctors do though have you attempted to get records from Fort Benning so you can prove in incident happened

[Hoppy]

The link above is to the full text of the case I posted last night. The BVA's website wasn't working last night. BVA cases are not precedent-setting. However, I have seen other cases where a veteran claimed to have had treatment and the records were not available because the medical facility kept the record for a limited amount of time.

If it were me I would file a claim for anxiety disorder to include panic attack, panic disorder and PTSD. And let the VA figure out how to rate your claim.

In the 90s I worked with some workers compensation attorneys. If you were in a car accident the doctors they worked with would give you a diagnosis in addition to physical injury of a stress disorder. As you healed from the physical injuries they would also monitor and treat any symptoms of anxiety and stress. Back in the 70s the military and even civilian workers compensation clinicians did not pay much attention to stress and anxiety. With this in mind if you have trouble with VA doctors associating initial mental symptoms with your in-service injury then find a clinician who has been working on workers compensation claims for most of their careers.

Testvet. Thanks for covering the records issue/ I had actually thought about typing up a note telling him to get the records directly from the hospital. However, finding these old cases on my computer keeps me pretty busy.

Wings, thanks for the compliment..

Edited August 15, 2010 by Hoppy

[cooter]

There are some problems with the missing records and lack of development of anxiety noted on the discharge exam. However, I have seen cases where weak evidence is allowed when there is a consistency throughout the record that is believable.

With this in mind what you said to the doctors in the reports that were available in 1991 could be given weight. If the records contain comments relating your symptoms back to the time you were in the military or right after discharge a qualified clinician could review those old records at this time and make a determination that considering the severity of the accident in the military and the reference to anxiety on your discharge exam that the recorded history of your symptoms is credible. Of course the report would have to establish a link that any reference to anxiety on the discharge exam cannot be attributed specifically to a provisional assessment of separation anxiety and it is more likely than not that the anxiety which occurred in the military is related to or early symptoms of recurrent mental condition.

You will probably run into service officers who would not give my arguments any chance of succeeding. However, in the last 15 years I've probably read somewhere between 500 and 1000 BVA cases involving mental conditions. Have the service officers read what I posted below. The veteran served on active duty from October 1967 to October 1969. The claim was awarded 36 years after discharge. It appears that he didn't even start post service treatment until about 30 years after discharge.

______________________________________________

Two doctors have diagnosed the veteran with a panic disorder. The veteran has received treatment for a panic disorder for several years. The record clearly establishes the first requirement of service connection--that the veteran currently has a panic disorder disability. There is conflicting evidence about whether the veteran incurred his panic disorder during active military service. The veteran's service medical records contain no indication that he had a psychiatric condition during service. His exit examination also is silent as to any psychiatric conditions. And while the veteran states that he received treatment within two years of separation from service, neither the veteran nor the RO could obtain the treatment records from the veteran's physician. On the other hand, two doctors have specifically stated that the veteran's current panic disorder is related to his active military service. Service connection may be granted for any disease diagnosed after separation when all the evidence establishes that the disease was incurred in service. 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(d). If evidence sufficiently demonstrates a medical relationship between the veteran's in-service experiences and his current disability, it follows that the veteran incurred an injury in service. See Godfrey v. Derwinski, 2 Vet. App. 352, 356 (1992). From their discussions with the veteran about his experiences during service, both doctors determined that his current disability stemmed from his active military service.

Other evidence in the record supports the doctor's opinions. The veteran himself testified that, immediately following service, he was subject to panic attacks that became so severe he sought medical treatment. His wife testified that right after the veteran's active service, he had trouble breathing, one of the symptoms of his panic disorder. He was also very nervous after his service. She testified that before he went in the Army, he did not manifest those symptoms. Thus, the second requirement for service connection is met on this record.

ORDER Service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, including a panic disorder, is granted. Citation Nr: 0627773 Decision Date: 09/05/06 Archive Date: 09/12/06

Well I have to say, WINGS is RIGHT you are a gold mine of information!!! Sounds like all the homework you incured over the years has unmistakably paid off!!!

Wished I had you for my VSO! My current one is the dav and she's a youngin. Which I kind of feel uncomfortable cause my daughter is older than her and she's not

the brightest I have to say. I blame it on her mother's side.ha. Just kidding! She's actually a Second Lt. in the army.

Hoppy I have 2 statements from previous supervisers witnessing my anxiety/panic attacks. One from a job I had from 1979 to 1987, and one from 1988 to 2008,

which is the year I was forced to take a disability retirement from my fed. job. The disability was for a SC injury of the knee. Had a TKR done in 2008, and couldn't

perform my duties as a lineman. How much weight would they have in regards to the absense of the missing civ records? As far as my SMR's they also doesn't

have my clinic report of the time I went to the camp clinic in Korea cause of a freakout incident that I had. WHAT IS IT WITH THE MEDICAL RECORDS DURING THE

70's!! I wish I can understand so I won't be so frustrated. Believe me, my civ md records are FULL of evidence I need from 1991 to present. BUT! I understand what

your saying about the missing ones. The Veteran you stated about sounds identable to my situation. I'll keep you posted if I find or hear anything positive instead of

negative. !!!BROKEN ARROW!!!