Questions About Ptsd Diagnosis

[piratelip]

Greetings,

This is my first time posting here and I am trying to get a definitive answer on a question I have had on my mind for awhile. I filed a claim with the VA for PTSD and related anxiety and depression 2/13 and am scheduled for a C&P in a week. My symptoms have been gradually getting worse over the years and I finally reached out for help. Not getting too in depth about my personal struggle my background is that I was a USN FMF Hospital Corpsman with a combat rotation in Iraq at a field hospital in 2005. I am not worried about my stressor being conceded, but I DO NOT have a current diagnosis from the VA for PTSD. I was seen on active duty in 2006 for anxiety and prescribed medication however I have not gone to the VA for mental health issues. I am currently being seen at the local Vet Center by a therapist and currently attend a weekly PTSD group. Because my C&P is in a week I do not have time to be seen by a VA Psychologist but could go to the PET clinic for emergency medications and be seen by a Psychiatrist . My question is, do I need a current diagnosis from a VA mental health MD? Will a diagnosis/referral from my Vet Center therapist suffice? I am asking this because, through reading online about this process, I have received two contradictory answers to these questions. I have read that during my C&P the examining VA doctor will assign a diagnosis at that time. Is this accurate? Will the C&P examiner diagnosis PTSD and will that be enough to satisfy the criteria of needing a current PTSD diagnosis? If not, please provide any advise/information that will be useful for me going forward with my claim. Thank you for your help and I appreciate all the advise and stories I have read on these boards, it is nice to know I am not alone.

-Sam

[free_spirit_etc]

I certainly agree with you john999. Assistance adjusting can help. I also just posted a link on the PTSD thread that shows they are doing a lot of research and finding that PTSD is actually a very real brain injury. It causes very real and distinct changes in how the brain functions. And they are finally finding ways to study what those changes are. They even have pictures on one of the links showing the patterns of neurons communicating with each other in the brain of someone with PTSD. The VA is actually funding some of this research. Hopefully they will use the information they obtain to find better ways to treat PTSD, and not just use it for diagnosis.

[Hollis]

I agree with both of you, John and free spirit, I remember when I got home from Viet Nam, my wife at the time made a statement that has been with me for years,,"" YOUR AREN'T THE PERSON you once was. I did not under stand what she was talking about. I came home safe, not war wound that was visible. Little did I know what was going on in my brain, or why I was still thinking about the time in the jungle what I saw and did. It wasn't until a few years ago I was told I had PTSD. My response was what? What is that. The army just discharged me and others without even telling us what we need to do. We was left on our on. Now they want to know why we waiting so long, well why did the Army wait so long to inform us?