ptsd Non Combat Ptsd

[381sps]

Back in May 2008 my PCP said I was positive for PTSD and I denied that I was to avoid meds and the mental health people. She then put in the medical record that I declined further evaluation/ treatment/ and a referral for PTSD which is all true.

I was a very young airman at the time and the guy I rode with a lot in missile security I kind of looked up to he took time with me and showing me the ropes. In the middle of the shift he told me he was calling the shift supervisor that he was sick and needed to go home for the day. Okay not a problem. The next day I come in from duty I find out he had went home quietly went into the apartment he shared with his wife took his kids across the street went back in shot his wife in the face 6 times with a 22 pistol with longs she was seeing another airman he reloaded 3 times chasing him through the complex. The final shots was when the airman he was chasing broke into another apt trying to get away and the finals shots took place there. This was all over the news and was the big news for the day. Some one questioned me about it and asked me if I had any idea he was going to do this of coarse I had know idea.

Turns out he was planning this thing for awhile. This was back in about 1976 and this thing just keeps coming back to life with me. A lot of times I wonder if they did not let him go home would he have shot me to complete his deal that day.

I have pretty much put there names out of my head and the exact date had a visit with a VSO in the past week and she seen it in my records and asked me about it.

I broke into tears about it felt like an idiot she said I should file for it and I am considering it. I really hate to see MH about it.

I have no idea where in the world to get this information from to back it up. If I remember right he only got 4 years tried as a civilian goof Kansas law.

Any ideas

Edited May 7, 2014 by 381sps

[Vync]

Depending on the situation, the VA MH psychologist/psychiatrist might need repeated visits to diagnose PTSD. They initially might diagnose you as having sometime like an adjustment disorder, but then over time adjust the diagnosis. It just depends on the person and the doc. Some docs are more apt to take their time than others. There are a lot of symptoms that overlap different diagnosis. I don't want you to get upset if you see them do that. Remember, you can file for MH conditions other than PTSD, like depression or whatever they diagnose. Maybe after a few visits to the doc you could obtain copies of your records and see what they think. This can also be helpful in providing personal insight and eventually help you try to get past it. Keep in mind that the records from each visit are considered a snapshot in time and possibly a comparison from your previous visit.

When you go for the C&P exam, you should see a different psychologist/psychiatrist so they can verify PTSD. They are sticklers about believing one doc vs. two docs for unknown reasons.

Refusing to go to regular doctor visits or take the medication they prescribed is not unusual. It is part of the ups and downs that many folks go through.

Another idea is to try to think back and remember the names of some of the folks who might have been in your unit when the incident occurred. They might remember more details or maybe kept a diary or journal. Although they don't carry as much weight as a doctors diagnosis, you can get them to write what we call a buddy letter to help provide proof of the incident. If you remember the city/state and month/year of the incident, you might be able to try to get some old police records or newspaper articles. Google has scanned in a bunch of old newspaper articles and might have them.

I hope this helps.

[Fco75th25div]

Carlie the admin Is correct, you have to see the traumatic event, hearing about or feeling the gravity of an event doesn't match PTSD eval standards.

I know a lot of veterans personally murdered people, were killed in battles in Vietnam, and can document it all ! That's not PTSD.., it might be a personality order, depression, anxiety, etc I suggest you read Vync comments above Good Luck

[john999]

Seeing a good shrink is something to be proud of in my opinion. Seeing a good private psychologist soon after I got back from the army and Vietnam saved my life I think. I found someone who believed in what I was telling them, and did not call me a liar like army shrink or VA personnel. I went to a group for many years with other vets and these guys really woke me up to reality. I was in a daze and depressed as hell. Mental health counseling got me over the rough places in the first 5 years after I got out of the army. The years after that were a learning process which helped me get more out of life and deal with bad events.

If not for that couseling I would be dead or living in an institution. The men and women who really go off the deep end are the ones who believe they have no problems, and everyone else is crazy. When bad things happen to you it tends to leave scars. Counseling helps heal and shrink these scars so you can see reality as it is and not as blurred vision from mental scar tissue invokes in us.

John