ptsd Ptsd Claim

[NoliMeTangere]

Hi everyone,

I'm having a hard time figuring out how to post in the forum so I'm just going to ask my questions in this Test area since its the only place I can.

I've been depressed for a long time and after some strong recommendations from my family I went to the vet center in 2007 to see if I could get some counseling. After talking to him for a few minutes he said he could make me an appointment with a shrink. So a couple weeks later I went to my appointment and he asked me some pretty standard questions about how I was feeling and then prescribed me some meds. I took the meds for a couple weeks and then I didn't see him again. This is my standard way of dealing with things. I tell myself "you need to do something about this" and when I began to crawl out of my hole I fall right back in. I went back to the vet center in April of this year to get another appointment with a shrink. This time I saw a different doctor who asked me the same questions and prescribed me another med. I saw her two more times and then I again quit going. Towards the end of May I received a packet in the mail asking me to fill out an authorization & consent form and something asking about stressful incidents. I assumed that this was required so that I could continue getting treatment and since I wasn't going anymore, I disregarded it. I received a letter in the mail last week asking me to get an examination on Nov. 26th. The exam was a C&P exam, I went home and googled it and found this site. The doctor was nice and took about 2 hours to complete. He asked me a lot about how I was feeling and how this was affecting me but just like the other doctors he never talked with me about what was actually causing the problem, the stressful events.

So after reviewing this site, I guess my questions are...

- How does the claim come about? Is it standard to start upon seeking treatment or is it a specific request?

- Does having a C&P mean I've been diagnosed with PTSD? The doctors have never given me their opinion.

- Is this necessary for me to get treatment in the future? Is the purpose solely for monetary compensation?

- Would being labeled disabled negatively effect me?

- Do I need to present more evidence if I decide to continue? They originally asked me to fill out detailed forms about a stressful events.

Thanks to everyone who reads this.

BH

[Notorious Kelly]

Welcome, BH, and thank you for your service.

- How does the claim come about? Is it standard to start upon seeking treatment or is it a specific request?

Someone requested your claim, possibly a Veterans Service Officer you may have spoken to.

- Does having a C&P mean I've been diagnosed with PTSD? The doctors have never given me their opinion.

The exam just means they're taking your claim seriously. To view the results of the exam, contact the Release Of Information office (medical records) at your VA hospital and they'll tell you how to receive a copy.

If you post the results of that exam (but first remove any personal info such as name, claim number, etc) we can help you further.

- Is this necessary for me to get treatment in the future? Is the purpose solely for monetary compensation?

You should get treatment because it will help you, and it also doesn't hurt for supporting your claim.

- Would being labeled disabled negatively effect me?

It's illegal to discriminate against the disabled. There's little chance the majority of people would have any idea if you didn't tell them.

- Do I need to present more evidence if I decide to continue? They originally asked me to fill out detailed forms about a stressful events.

Possibly. The start is finding out the results of your C & P exam. We can help you further from there.

Others will add their opinions soon.

[john999]

Stay in treatment and do not ignore or disregard anything you get from the VA. If the VA sends you a letter asking for information you need to supply that information.

[NoliMeTangere]

Thanks for the quick replys. I will try and get a copy of my C&P exam and post it here. I'm guessing it will probably take a few weeks before its available to me?

I guess my biggest question now, and I think you misunderstood me in my third question, is will the result of this claim possibly prevent me from getting help again through the VA? I know at some point I will need to get treatment and actually suck it up and stick with it. I would hate to be denied that benefit in the future just because I didn't take this claim seriously.

Its been six months since they requested I fill out these forms about stressful events and statements but the claim has seemed to progress. Should I try to get another copy and send them in? I'm pretty sure that my military record will clearly state that I was in combat and would rather not go in to detail about it if I didn't have to.

Thanks

BH

[Testvet]

Just a few thoughts if you do get rated do not stop treatment a check is not a cure, many veterans quit treatment once they start getting compensation and then wonder why the VA moves to reduce them a year or 2 down the road after they call them in for a new C&P and see that there is no treatment records from the past few years, so they will state that the veteran is now "better" and they lower the rated percentage and many veterans do not understand why the VA does this to them

PTSD is not curable it is treatable either with medication or counseling but it never really goes away yes there are ways to mitigate the symptoms but if you have been dealing with it for years if not decades why would a check cure it? It doesn't stay in "treatment" either at the VA or vet center or a private mental health professional why fight so long and hard to obtain benefits you deserve then turn around and give them a reason the lower your award by stopping all treatment we have all seen to many veterans make this mistake and a few years down the road only have it bite them.

I have not personally ever met anyone that got better with PTSD it usually just gets worse as time goes on

It is up to you if you tell anyone that you have been diagnosed with PTSD, if you are working I wouldn't advise telling your employers, it is not required so why ask for more problems at work. Unless your treating doctor tells you that they feel you shouldn't be working any longer and feel you should medically retire I wouldn't tell my boss, I worked at the Postal Service and to many supervisors there seem to think they are medical professionals all they would do is make things worse each of us deal with the symptoms of PTSD differently I have never been able to do a group session I just can't see it, I have been doing one on ones at the VA since Jan 2003 they have tried different time periods for appts 3 months, 4 months, 5 months and 6 months the longer periods all seemed to make things worse for me so we are back to every 3 months they tried to get me into the inpatient programs but the dom refused to admit me due to medications I take and the severe health problems I have (first time I have ever been told I was to sick to be in a hospital)

I never wanted to admit I had problems I blamed my problems on everyone else my ex wives, my bosses, my kids you name it I could blame it on them, I don't know who was more surprised when the PTSD diagnosis team at the VAMC came back with the fact that yes I have PTSD my shrink or me I abused booze, I was a workaholic I like many vets refused to look at me

Once I admitted to myself that I had a problem then it became easier to deal with and treat if nothing else do it for yourself it will help with your family friends and at work good luck

[NoliMeTangere]

@Testvet

Thank you for taking the time to share your opinion and tell your story. Im going to try and setup an appointment this week. The VA docs seem so cold and impersonal but I guess I will have to deal with it for now. Maybe I can get my family to help me pay for a real doctor.

I got a copy of my exam and will post the results in the C&P section. I would love some opinions so please take a look if you can.

BH

[Testvet]

check and see if there is a VET center in your town or in a town near you maybe the counselors there will be easier for you to talk to private mental health care is usually expensive and most insurance policies only pay about 50% of the bill and not all mental health types know HOW to deal with PTSD patients I know they are supposed to know how to treat mental health but like everything else there are specialty areas and PTSD is not a generic area they need to know what they are doing in order to help you most of it is finding a way for you to cope with your issues, this isn't something they can talk out of you they can help you find ways to cope there are meds that can mitigate the symptoms but there are NO cures and no pills to make it go away if there was they would demand that we all take them and then quit sending us compensation checks but there are no cures and they know it just ways to help us mitigate the effects