I'm wondering how strong of a case I have

[hemipepsis5p]

Hello everyone,

So I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about 2 years after I got out of the Army (left Army in November 2011, diagnosed in Jan 2014). While I was in the Army, after my second deployment, I'm very certain I entered a hypomanic state (I was having racing thoughts, pressured and rapid speech, grandiose thoughts, and a decreased need for sleep). I know now what hypomania feels like because it happens to me every so often and I have to have my medication dosage increased.

The details are that basically after my second deployment my buddies and I came back from Iraq, and most of them were stop-lossed and ended up leaving 1-2 months after we returned. I was basically on my own in a whole new platoon and really just fell apart. This is documented on my post-deployment health assessment, where I asked to see a therapist and documented my drinking problem and the problems I had been having with irritability and whatnot. Also, I specifically remember having a plan to move to New Haven, CT and write a philosophy book which would make me famous and help me get into Yale once I impressed Yale professors at book signings. It's really pretty embarassing to admit that and I know now that I was completely delusional. I still had 6 months left on my contract when I was forming plans like this, and I was drinking up to 1/5 of Jim Beam per night starting at 6pm and ending at 2am, chugging a bunch of water, stuffing my face with food, then racking out until 5:50am and getting up for PT and doing a full, normal day on 4 hours of sleep. This went on for about two months until my PLSGT caught wind of how much I was drinking and I ended up cutting back. I remember having tons of energy and being very irritable. The anger and drinking problems are on my PDHRA.

After I got out of the Army, I entered a bout of moderate depression and saw some VA psychiatrists. I was tested for ADHD, diagnosed with OCD and depression, and put on an antidepressant. I believe that this made me hypomanic again (when a bipolar person is given a regular anti-depressant, that is, an SSRI, the medication typically causes rapid onset of hypomania/mania, sometimes even resulting in hospitalizations), and about 2 months after being on Prozac I dropped out of college and moved to Connecticut with the idea of becoming a world famous chef. A few of my friends lived in CT and one of them worked at a restaurant. Iron Chef (the old, Japanese one) has always been one of my favorite shows, cooking was my biggest hobby, and I was confident that one day I would be as good as Iron Chef Sakai or Iron Chef Kenichi, my two favorites from the show, or Gordon Ramsay, who is still one of my idols. When a cooking job didn't materialize, I ended up going to college for psychology and gained a boatload of insight into my condition, and suffered through horrible anxiety, depression, and alcoholism until I finally went to a general provider for it (the depression, mainly). He prescribed me an antidepressant and told me to meet him in a week. I came back a week later feeling absolutely amazing, with the same symptoms I had had way back in the Army and back when I decided to pursue being a chef; racing thoughts, grandiose delusions, rapid speech, irritability, etc... He told me "Wait here, I'll be back in a little bit..." and he left and closed the door and I heard his muffled voice along with a female colleagues and she sounded very concerned. He came back in and told me I wasn't supposed to feel much of anything until the 6-week mark, and he is 100% certain that I have bipolar disorder, and I need to find a psychiatrist. I did just that, and am now a happy camper (compared to being suicidal, lol) making his way through undergrad for a computer science degree.

It's been 2 years now since I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, but I vividly remember having the symptoms back on active duty. I requested my complete VA medical history and they sent it to me, but this was years ago, and I do remember my first psychiatrist had written in his notes "observe for possible hypomania." That was about 5 months after I had left the Army, and that was when he started me on the Prozac. I have requested my complete medical record once again and plan on "putting together my case."

I guess my question is "What are the odds of me getting my bipolar disorder connected to my service?" I'm looking to start the disability process as my treatment is really expensive and I've finally stopped feeling ashamed about all this.

[hemipepsis5p]

Gastone,

My records aren't all at the VA yet because I have a bunch of private records. I've started my claim on eBenefits; I'm filing a FDC like you said. I'm meeting with my psychiatrist on Wednesday to get an IMO and nexus letter, and with my orthopedic doctor to get my chronic tendinitis diagnosis, and with a VSO to get some professional advice on the specifics. My records also say "PTSD diagnosis recommended" so I will be calling the VA on Monday to schedule an appointment with a VA psychiatrist to see if I still have it. I'll have it done ASAP, Senior Chief!

Best regards,
Phil

[Navy04]

Sorry for what you have gone thru over the years my friend. Sadly it could go either way bud. Some good advice was given above. Good luck and keep us posted. God Bless

[TALON II FE]

The only possible issue I see is that it does say ACTIVE.  You want it to say CHRONIC.  With continued/recent treatment, I think you may be ok.  Honestly, everyone wants to key in on PTSD and PTSD diagnoses and I don't understand why.  All mental health issues are treated the same as far as rating criteria, regardless of the diagnosis.  Whether they say depression, adjustment disorder, or anything else, it is rated from your SYMPTOMS.  It is the same % based off of those symptoms, however they label it.  Is there some advantage to a PTSD diagnosis vs something else? 

[hemipepsis5p]

TALON II FE "Is there some advantage to a PTSD diagnosis vs something else?" Probably not. In fact, PTSD is considered treatable and some people even make full recoveries from it (and that's honestly really good news). But in terms of a rating, PTSD is not considered as chronic as bipolar disorder, if my memory is correct.

I was thinking in terms of having everything that is wrong with me documented on paper, so I can obtain specific treatments for it all, and in case it gets worse later, but I think I wasn't properly understanding how the VA rates mental disorders.

My new understanding is that I only have to have one mental disorder diagnosed, and then the symptoms of all the other disorders just fall under that disorder for rating. So in other words, if I experience hypomania/mania (unique to bipolar disorder), and avoidance of, say, war movies because it's traumatic for me to view the footage of people being wounded because it reminds me of the death of a brother of mine, even though those symptoms are both clearly due to different disorders, the VA will just rate me for bipolar disorder and then take the PTSD symptoms into account without diagnosing me with PTSD. That's completely at odds with the modern practice of psychiatry. In fact, differentiating between disorders with medical certainty is what makes a great psychiatrist. So, the VA's position on rating mental disorders is just plain wrong here, if they think they can't tell the difference between, say, compulsive hand-washing behavior to the extent that the patients fingernails fall off and, say, a manic episode where the patient blows $20,000 in savings on two failed business ventures and new, very sexually suggestive clothing, feels fully rested on 2 hours of sleep per night for the last 3 weeks and ends up getting arrested for trying to break into the Whitehouse to tell Obama their grand plan for ending world hunger. The symptoms of those disorders so obviously suggest OCD and bipolar disorder (specifically, bipolar 1) that it infuriates me that the VA says they can't tell them apart. Sorry for my bit of ranting.

Edited February 27, 2016 by hemipepsis5p

[TALON II FE]

hemi, you are making an association between compensation and treatment, I think.  I think that is natural but incorrect.  Think of all of your dealings with the VA concerning Compensation as a LEGAL process instead.  That is really what it is, essentially. They will never separate out each mental condition and rate them individually, that would be pyramiding.  Instead, they lump it all together, and rate it off of the DBQ based on your symptoms.  Hope this helps!

[TALON II FE]

As far as the PTSD diagnosis part, I asked bc I thought maybe I was overlooking a benefit.  It seems everyone wants a PTSD diagnosis recently and I was trying to understand why.  I am worried about them trying to take my guns bc of my PTSD rating and I can't get a concealed carry permit anymore.  It sucks.  I wish they had just left it as chronic adjustment disorder or MDD.  I actually had a friend in Ohio, also former SOF, who has PTSD and had his front door kicked in and was tazered in his living room in front of his 3 small children by the ATF bc he "owned too many guns".  He was building custom railed AR15's and they did this.  He had a total of 11 guns. I am glad for now that I live in Texas.