Psych and General C&P exams tomorrow

[LauraB]

Tomorrow I am scheduled for 2 C&P exams..Psych and General...I am applying for MDD/Anxiety secondary to my Right knee TKR and Fibro Secondary to the MDD/Anxiety..I have diagnosis for all, all done by the VA...As Im looking through the web to help prepare myself for these C&P's I am having an anxiety attack! Do I need to bring any of my MHV notes from Myhealthvet? And what in the world are Axis on the DBQ? As far as the General exam, which I assume is for the Fibro, I have all but 1 of the trigger points and if you press any of them it is quite obvious! Just wondering if there is anything that is NOT ok to say at the Psych exam...Im not worried about the previous drug use question, I haven't any, but Ive had depression most of my life..it just started getting really bad, enough to go on meds, after my 1st surgery on my SC right knee...then the Anxiety came about after the RTKR..hope this makes sense...I just need some guidance on these exams, and CANNOT wait until they are over!

[Vync]

1 hour ago, LauraB said:

Tomorrow I am scheduled for 2 C&P exams..Psych and General...I am applying for MDD/Anxiety secondary to my Right knee TKR and Fibro Secondary to the MDD/Anxiety..I have diagnosis for all, all done by the VA...As Im looking through the web to help prepare myself for these C&P's I am having an anxiety attack! Do I need to bring any of my MHV notes from Myhealthvet? And what in the world are Axis on the DBQ? As far as the General exam, which I assume is for the Fibro, I have all but 1 of the trigger points and if you press any of them it is quite obvious! Just wondering if there is anything that is NOT ok to say at the Psych exam...Im not worried about the previous drug use question, I haven't any, but Ive had depression most of my life..it just started getting really bad, enough to go on meds, after my 1st surgery on my SC right knee...then the Anxiety came about after the RTKR..hope this makes sense...I just need some guidance on these exams, and CANNOT wait until they are over!

Hi Laura,
You're doing the right thing by asking the right questions.

First, I recommend you take a look at the VA's disability questionnaires (DBQ's) and familiarize yourself with them. This will give you an idea of what kind of questions to expect during each exam.

List of All DBQ's:http://www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/dbq_ListByDBQFormName.asp

MH DBQ (other than PTSD): http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-0960P-2-ARE.pdf

Fibromyalgia: http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-0960C-7-ARE.pdf

 

For the mental health exam, the link below will help answer a lot of your questions, especially what NOT to say:
http://www.hadit.com/things-to-do-at-your-va-compensation-and-pension-exam/

 

For the exams, they will have access to the same records you have in Myhealthvet. You can bring the records with you if you want, but they will probably only want to ask questions and do the usual exam. If you have non-VA treatment records, if you sought treatment elsewhere, then it might be helpful to bring them. Some docs will accept what you give them (and hopefully read them later), but some will not. I don't want you to be surprised.

"Axis" was used by mental health professionals as indicated by the The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Version 5 of that came out recently and they are not needed, but some docs may still use them.

Basically, they would classify patients according to these five "axis" categories

     I) Clinical Syndromes / Disorders,
    II) Personality Disorders / Mental Retardation,
    III) Medical Conditions,
    IV) Psychosocial and Environmental Stressors, and
    V) Global Assessment of Functioning.

DSM V now uses these, which are more straightforward:
    Section 1 includes an introduction and instructions on how to use the new version;
    Section 2 covers the diagnostic categories;
    Section 3 includes conditions that need additional research, a glossary of terms, and other important information.

Good luck! I hope this helps you out!

[LauraB]

Just had my C&P exams today, one for the Fibro and the other for the Pysch...needless to say my anxiety is thru the roof right now....First of all I do NOT like having to explain myself over and over, especially when all of the info is right in front of them in my VA files...it is hard for me, and Im sure for MANY others, to try to justify something that I know is correct...is it their job to make me feel as though I was making everything up???? Well at least it is over, I did my part and I was honest...now I just have to sit back and wait...hurry up and wait...I am SOO thankful for this website, it really makes me feel as though I am not alone in the VA web by myself!

[Andyman73]

LauraB,

I don't know your situation, specifically speaking, but I know exactly what you speak of, with your MH C&P exam!!!  I had mine on Nov. 3rd, 2015.  That guy did NOT want to talk about my chronic pain, which is the basis of my depression secondary to chronic pain, claim.  Boy did he not want to, at all!

He kept going back to pre-service years, and I must have told him several dozen times that my chronic pain is one of the root causes, and it all happened in the service. I have a pile of evidence that very clearly points to chronic pain and the injuries that caused it. But that didn't matter to him, and the RO wasn't interested in it either.

I hope and pray your results are much better than mine.  No one deserves to be treated like a felon convicted of fraud/perjury.

My VA MH Dr told me that he was probably trying to be sure I wasn't making it all up.  I told my Dr that even so, all the physical evidence and manifestation of symptoms of the MDD he had already DXd me with, should have been proof enough.  But I guess it wasn't...

Yes, this website is a Godsend...thanks again, Tbird!

[Vync]

I personally think that it would be better if the VA would just let our actual VAMC doctors handle the C&P exams. The whole idea that an "independent" examiner will be able to confirm during a brief period of time what our treating physicians already know from years of treatment is just plain stupid. And then to have them try to trip you up or treat you as if you were fabricating is even worse. A veterans' experiences with the VA are supposed to be "non-confrontational" and exams like this are often anything but that.

[Andyman73]

2 hours ago, Vync said:

A veterans' experiences with the VA are supposed to be "non-confrontational" and exams like this are often anything but that.

That is so very very true, most of us experience the "confrontational" version exams!

[Vync]

1 hour ago, Andyman73 said:

That is so very very true, most of us experience the "confrontational" version exams!

This probably is the reason why the VA will not allow us to record C&P examinations. If proof got out, it would be another scandal...