Meeting With Pyschol Dr.

[Hollis]

Last Thursday I had a meeting with psycholoist, this is the same Dr that gave the 16 weeks group therapy. I felt very relaxed while we was talking, little did I know he was typing every word I was saying to the questions he was asking. At the end I got a copy of the questionair, The GAF WAS 55, SO I GUESS I WILL GET LOW BALLED from the VA on the rating. All I can say is don't let your guard down, when you know the DR. Thanks to all who makes a comment on this.

[carlie]

Last Thursday I had a meeting with psycholoist, this is the same Dr that gave the 16 weeks group therapy.

"group therapy", was this a VAMC or Vet Center doc?

[hedgey]

MH Dr is not your friend don’t be relax around him/her

(bolding mine)

Truer words have never been typed. This is easy to forget, especially if you've been seeing them for a while. Every note they write about you becomes part of your Permanent VA Record. They don't work for you, they work for the VA.

Even a private doctor isn't your friend. I quit seeing my private psychiatrist because he told me I had improved tremendously because I "allowed" an intern to sit in on session. I didn't feel I really had any choice, and part of my problem is fear of authority figures. No way I was going to say no. He didn't note that I didn't talk about myself at all when the intern was there, only about my DH. So maybe that wasn't him Not Being My Friend as much as being way off the mark. Don't know. Don't care anymore because I'm not seeing him and I'm not giving his notes to the VA.

I keep seeing the VA therapist every week, and just going to the VA is enough to get me stressed & anxious.

Sorry to ramble.

[OutOfDarkness]

... if a doctor gives you a GAF of much below 50 you may find youself involuntarily admitted because if you leave the hospital and kill yourself in the parking lot the doctor's ass is in deep $#@#.

Hi ... I have a GAF of 45, and spent some time in the psych unit here in NY VA. Am I in danger of being sent back because of my 45? I am finally comfortable in an apartment, and wouldn't like being locked up again, as comfortable as the psych unit was!

[john999]

Not unless you do something crazy to get the police involved.

[Berta]

Agreed!!!! John is right.

I got a little lost here=

I think Hollis is claiming PTSD. Please read the new PTSD criteria in our PTSD forum,Hollis.

Out of Darkness said:

“Hi ... I have a GAF of 45, and spent some time in the psych unit here in NY VA. Am I in danger of being sent back because of my 45? I am finally comfortable in an apartment, and wouldn't like being locked up again, as comfortable as the psych unit was! “

My husband was in the Buffalo Inhouse Program for 21 days. I assume this is the type of psyche unit you mean?

They don't exactly lock you in, for the PTSD 21 day Inhouse programs-

if you are a combat vet they try to lock the “world” out for a while if you know what I mean.But they have day trips so it really isn't a lock down at all- but you might mean something else....

My husband's Gaf was 34 and then 26. He wished the program could have been a year long- to debrief him from a year in Hell.But the 21 day inhouse did help him a little.

Hollis also said:

“this is the same Dr that gave the 16 weeks group therapy. “

After my husband died, with his 30% SC claim for higher rating, at the rating board in Buffalo, I had to get his psychiatric records directly from his shrink.

His initial PTSD doctor = a psychologist-did not document anything because he was also the VA employee shrink and my husband worked for VA.

We finally got a VA psychiatrist ,after a battle, who not only understood PTSD far better then the other doc, he was also a Vietnam vet himself, worked with him on his stress and gave him a battery of tests, hypnosis therapy ,and could assess his PTSD from his major CVA.This doctor documented it all.

PTSD was awarded posthumously at 100% P & T increase from 30% and the CVA recently was granted 100% under 1151 and residuals via my Nehmer award. He had the stroke (CVA) 20 years ago.

They had to pay the 100% 1151 stroke comp separate from the 100% PTSD ( and no combined funny math) and then rated residuals after 6 months under SMC and granted that.

I explained in our FTCA forum how they really have to pay 1151, so it pays to know those regs as to SC and 1151 disabilities.I think VA trys to keep that a secret.

But my point here is that VA Buffalo didn't mention in the Evidence list or consider his VA shrink records in one of their denials , after he died and I filed for accrued benefits, until I asked the doc for copies of them and I also asked the doc to write Buffalo RO a letter.

With a few weeks after I sent the copies of these records and the doctor sent them a letter ,the posthumous PTSD award for 100% P & T came.

His EED was his SSDI EED for PTSD, a date one year prior to his actual VA claim for higher rating.

SSDI had awarded him solely for PTSD based on VA records in about 4 months. It took VA however 6 years to finally make the proper 100% PTSD award and he had been dead for 3 years already at that point.

[Hollis]

I thought I replied last night, anyway to answer some of the questions.

1. Carlie it was at the MH at the VMAC. I think this what it was. we have a clinic here in Columbus Ga. where the veterans goes to see the VA Dr. and there is a MH clinic next door, this is where the 16 weeks was held and so was the visit with the both MH Dr.

No this was not a C&P eval. I guess I will get a notice to see other Drs. at Tuskegee Va Hospital in the future.

MY MAIN CONCERN WAS THE 55 GAF rating.

thanks to all who has commented on this post, thanks

everyone comments sure add support and give me a more positive feeling about my PTSD