ptsd Ptsd Va Diagnosis

[seahawkfan]

Hello vets, I am a discharged US Marine who served in OIF as an infantryman during the invasion. I discharged shortly after returning home. PTSD was never something that gave us any information about in 03. I have lived with ptsd for many years not really knowing what was wrong with me but figured it was just something I had to live with from my combat experiences. I self medicated for years with Alchohol to deal with the stress, anxiety and sleep problems. My wife in the last year has been at the end of her rope with my drinking. I have been dry for a year but its been a hard year dealing with ptsd without my main coping tool (alchohol). I have seek counseling which I have started as well as being medicated for nightmares and anxiety from a private doctor. I have heard by many that I will need a ptsd diagnosis from a VA pschologist. Do I need to do that before filing a claim or will I get to see a VA pschologist as part of the c&p exam

[free_spirit_etc]

seahawkfan,

You might want to look over one of the VAs DBQs for PTSD before your C&P exam.

http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-0960P-3-ARE.pdf

[me.plum]

I'm a Marine and have look at the veterans that this site has helped for years. God was sent you to the right place. semper-fi