Personality Disorder,

[Guest Jim S.]

More than a few of us have been classified with personality disorder by the military or the VA Examiner. I have been wondering how they determine one with one and how do they guage it's severity, so that they could differentiate it from a mental disorder.

I found it hard to believe that I had a personality disorder, since it was never noted prior to enlistment, nor during my psychological tests at enlistment, nor the absence of anything saying I had it during service, nor was it noted on my re-enlistment physical, and nor was it noted during my three month hospitalization after my psychotic episode.

It's strange to note that my so called personality disorder was only noted by the VA Examiner and has not been noted anyware in my medical records since and not in any of the last two plus years, in which I have been under treatment for associated disorders to my psychotic episode, for which the VA continues to deny as nothing new or material to my personality disorder, Still further to fail to address the psychotic episode as a mental disorder.

I have had my ups and downs while in the service, but I was never repermanded or had Capt. Mast for anything. My regular evaluations are average to above average, I went from Seaman Apprentice to Hospitalman Third Class in the first half of my first enlistment and was selected one of two endividuals to attend a specialty school in my unit, I was also recommended for an additional specialty school and advancement upon completion to Hospitalman Second Class. Somehow I don't see this as a servicman with a personality disorder that was unfit for duty or the reason for my psychotic episode.

I know I'm rambling along, but I have run out of things to do for my claim, while the VA does their thing, but to wonder how the VA could consider such an opinion, taking into the consideration besides the ups and down in my limited career, that my superiors thought well enough of me to recommend my request for re-enlistment and pass the re-enlistment physical too and to recommed advancement to the next high rate upon completion of this advace school.

I just wish their is a way to tell where your claim is in the stack of all the other claims. Something that tells you are number two or three in a stack of a dozen, something besides we have your claim and nothing new to report.

AAAHHHHHH!!!!!

Jim S.

Edited October 4, 2005 by Jim S.

[Guest Jim S.]

Hoppy, Wings: I hear what you are saying about and IMO and a Nexus to a current diagnosis, but it is not as easy as it sound in this neck of the woods. Those mental health professionals that have the expertise are either not interested in spending time going thru the hundreds of pages of medical history, service records and other sources of records pertenent to my claim or they are just too expensive for my limited budget can afford.

You got to understand that my reasoning ability wasn't firing on all cylenders back then and I had no idea I could appeal past the VARO level. I didn't know other than that they denied my claim and my appeal. Appealing to the BVA and COVA were not something I knew anything about until about two or three years ago. I truely was amazed how much I learned in such a short time after learning about this forum site.

I'm hoping for a C&P exam request, for if it is cunducted according to the work sheet for Mental disorders, I would hope it would show a nexus of my current problems with that which happened to me while in service.

Waiting has caused my Anxiety disorder to kick up a few notches and my sleep problems have also been agravated. As you might not, the time of this post is around 03:45 a.m.

good night/good morning

Jim S.

[john999]

Jim

I think an IMO is the only way you are going to get that personality disorder changed. You are just spinning your wheels without one. The doc does not have to review all your records. He just has to say he has done it. An IMO completely rewrote my diagosis and got me TDIU. The VA accepted every word from the IMO and just turned my claim around. They don't even mention personality disorder anymore.

[Wings]

§4.127 Mental retardation and personality disorders. Mental retardation and personality disorders are not diseases or injuries for compensation purposes, and, except as provided in §3.310(a) of this chapter, disability resulting from them may not be service-connected. However, disability resulting from a mental disorder that is superimposed upon mental retardation or a personality disorder may be service-connected. (Authority: 38 U.S.C. 1155)

It's hard for me to understand this regulation: what exactly does "superimposed" mean??? In modern psychiatric nomenclature, the term used most often, I believe, is "co-occuring". What do you guys think??? ~Wings

[Pete53]

If you have been diagnosed with a Personality Disorder chances are good that it is a mis diagnosis. The symptoms of personality disorder are often used as a quick catch all but are actually very specific and there always is the chance that a person can actually have a personality disorder along with a compensatable service connection.

If you read about personality disorders you will learn that they suffer common traits and in fact if a soldier has an honorable discharge is almost proof that they do not have a personality disorder.

[Hoppy]

§4.127 Mental retardation and personality disorders. Mental retardation and personality disorders are not diseases or injuries for compensation purposes, and, except as provided in §3.310(a) of this chapter, disability resulting from them may not be service-connected. However, disability resulting from a mental disorder that is superimposed upon mental retardation or a personality disorder may be service-connected. (Authority: 38 U.S.C. 1155)

It's hard for me to understand this regulation: what exactly does "superimposed" mean??? In modern psychiatric nomenclature, the term used most often, I believe, is "co-occuring". What do you guys think??? ~Wings

Wings,

Co-occuring. In medicine there is great debate about cause and effect. In conditions that involve development of secondary conditions doctors used to throw around cause and effect rather loosely. Saying that one caused the other. In more recent years they have refrained from establishing cause and effect. They merely cite that the conditions mutually occur.

It would be interesting to find out when the code allowing superimposed personality disorders to be service connected was added to the adjudication process.

[Wings]

Wings,

Co-occuring. In medicine there is great debate about cause and effect. In conditions that involve development of secondary conditions doctors used to throw around cause and effect rather loosely. Saying that one caused the other. In more recent years they have refrained from establishing cause and effect. They merely cite that the conditions mutually occur.

It would be interesting to find out when the code allowing superimposed personality disorders to be service connected was added to the adjudication process.

Hoppy, The VA's medical language is often archaic! Co-occuring is the modern terminology and conforms to the DSM IV.

See where the VA must use the Manual:

§4.125 Diagnosis of mental disorders. (a) If the diagnosis of a mental disorder does not conform to DSM-IV or is not supported by the findings on the examination report, the rating agency shall return the report to the examiner to substantiate the diagnosis. (b) If the diagnosis of a mental disorder is changed, the rating agency shall determine whether the new diagnosis represents progression of the prior diagnosis, correction of an error in the prior diagnosis, or development of a new and separate condition. If it is not clear from the available records what the change of diagnosis represents, the rating agency shall return the report to the examiner for a determination. (Authority: 38 U.S.C. 1155)

I'm not sure when this particular code was added, but there were substantial ammendments in 1996.

Posted here http://www.haditveteransforum.com/127152.htm

[Federal Register: October 8, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 196)]

[Rules and Regulations]

[Page 52695-52702]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr08oc96-10]

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

38 CFR Part 4

RIN 2900-AF01

Schedule for Rating Disabilities; Mental Disorders

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Final rule.