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Recommendations welcome on letter for anxiety

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GnySkinner

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I am submitting a claim for anxiety.  My wife wrote a letter where she has included the following to show my military connection and timeline.  I have been retired for 19 years (20yr Marine 0331) and have not submitted a claim for this prior to now.  I am rated at 10% for migraines and service connected for back pain but rated at 0% for that. I do not have my military medical records although I requested them back on January 2nd.  I know they will take a long time to get.  I was seen by a clinical psychologist at the VA clinic and her diagnosis says "Adjustment disorder with mixed emotions r/o Trauma-related stressor".  She is sending me to classes and recommended on-line options as well.  Any suggestions?

My husband served 20 years in the Marine Corp where he was exposed to many conditions that he tries, unsuccessfully, to deal with to this day.

  • He suffers from impaired short and long term memory. He retains only highly learned materials while forgetting to complete simple tasks. This started very early in his military career when he studied long hours for promotion boards. He was trained to memorize and recite.

  • He is suspicious of everyone and everything. Again, this is due to his military training, be aware of your surroundings at all times and be prepared for the worst. He sees the world as a completely dangerous place.

  • He is easy to anger and very irritable. In his military career he was trained to do things at the drop of a hat, always ready to react at a moment's notice. When things don't move at the pace he thinks is appropriate he has difficulty dealing with it. “Little” things easily anger him.

  • He suffers from lack of concentration. If the subject doesn't interest him he zones out. He was taught in the military to focus on the relevant and ignore the irrelevant. This makes it nearly impossible for him to concentrate on learning new things, i.e. new jobs.

  • He served as a drill instructor at both Parris Island and San Diego. During those 4 years he trained many young Marines who later served in combat. He has expressed to me many, many times the feelings of anxiety and guilt he continues to have knowing that some of those young men were either injured or killed. He feels that he should have been there with them instead of on the drill field.


 

His 20 years of training dictate his life to this day. He has a difficult time functioning in the “civilian” world. His nights are restless and his days are frustrating. He sleeps with a CPAP machine to control his breathing. He frequently gets up to check and recheck doors and windows. He is not comfortable in social situations unless he is surrounded by his military buddies. He can not work around other people unless they share the same military background. He believes that if he asks for help it is a sign of weakness. When he was on active duty he did not go to sick call or ever ask for help because he did not want to be labeled a “sick bay commando”.


 

Although most of these conditions have been present since he was on active duty, they have gotten worse over the years. Only recently did he agree to seek help.

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  • HadIt.com Elder

This is a good letter from your spouse  she nailed everything...you will also need a letter from your Dr for a Diagnosis of Anxiety,For PTSD This Diagnoses  has to come from a MH VA Dr.

VA will not accept a MH Diagnoses (PTSD) from a private Dr

The Dr needs to follow the VA Guidelines  and word his opinion as  I have examined this veteran and read his medical records and it is in my opinion it (is likely as not) his PTSD was caused/ related to his military service as his MOS was### and also served as a Drill Instructor for basic training at locations  ******Dates

If you are in MH treatment  get the treatment notes as evidence in part of your claim. list your medications as part of your evidence in part for your claim.

you need a nexus to connect your condition to your military service ,if you were in combat and have the CIB on your DD 214 Then VA will consead your stressors, your lay statement on how this has affected your life  ect,,ect,,,

Elder member and moderator broncovet can cover the 3 things you need  to apply a first time claim for PTSD. 

THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO APPLY FOR INCREASE OR ANY SECONDARY CONDITIONS THAT PTSD CAN BE RELATED TO  SUCH AS SLEEP APNEA or loss of use of creative organ  ect,,ect,,

Also check out the New pain compensation the VA just came out with for your Back condition.

Edited by Buck52
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2 hours ago, Buck52 said:

,if you were in combat and have the CIB on your DD 214 Then VA will consead your stressors, your lay statement on how this has affected your life  ect,,ect,,,

Elder member and moderator broncovet can cover the 3 things you need  to apply a first time claim for PTSD. 

THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO APPLY FOR INCREASE OR ANY SECONDARY CONDITIONS THAT PTSD CAN BE RELATED TO  SUCH AS SLEEP APNEA or loss of use of creative organ  ect,,ect,,

Also check out the New pain compensation the VA just came out with for your Back condition.

I was never in combat.  That is a big part of my constant feelings of guilt.  I spent over 20 years in, trained hundreds of others, was in a leadership role and was never in a combat situation.  I was sent all over the world and was always in a zone just prior to or just after a combat situation. I know others have the "why me" feelings of guilt related to surviving when friends they served with weren't as fortunate. I have the "why not me" feelings related to having never been sent.  I trained my whole career for combat.  I worked hard and was good at what I did.  I took pride in learning and retaining knowledge.  Now, in the civilian world, all of that gets me no where, truly.  I don't know if this is labeled as PTSD or just general anxiety.  I figured the professionals would put a label on it.

My VSO didn't think applying for the sleep apnea condition right now was a good idea.  I have another meeting with him next Tuesday so I could ask again then. We did apply for tinnitus, hearing loss, vertigo (I have a diagnosis of this and go for additional testing Monday), gerd (which I also have a diagnosis for), kidney stones (suffer from this all the time and this is definitely in my military medical records), migraines to be reevaluated and back to be reevaluated. (8 issues right now) 

Where can I find the new pain compensation the VA just came out with for the back condition?

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

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  • HadIt.com Elder

You don't have to have combat action to get traumatized  it can happen any time any where, your training for all those years  to teach other how to survive in combat has taken its toll on you  as you feel guilty for not being in combat..you should not feel that way, you did what you were ordered to do and you probably did a great job & you did it. Drill Instructors is not an eazy job..I would think it's stressful and depressing 

look at it this way  just think about all the young lives you did saved by teaching them how to survive,,,that should be a rewarding experience.

I wish I could meet my Drill instructors from basic training.

I took a lot of what they taught me and used it in a combat situation  how to survive was what kept me alive during my Vietnam tour...I have to admit the first year was pretty tough but I made it and I had 7 months left to serve out my time  my CO Ask me if I wanted to extend my tour and then ETS from Nam..and I could stay with my same unit under his command..I choose to extend...one of my reason  I made that decision was because what my Drill Instructors taught me..I was lucky to make it home but I made it home  when a lot of my buddies never did. that haunts at me today and it's been 46/47 years ago

what you did Sir in training young recruits all those years was traumatizing to you and it's just now coming out to haunt at you,think back in all those years about a trauma event that may have happen and you being a Drill instructor just sucked it up and went on and unreported details of what may have occurred?

Ask/Request your VA PCP for a referral to the MH Clinic.

Talk with a VA MH Phyistrist and he/she will most likely give you a PTSD Diagnosis for unspecified anxiety or depression They are several symptoms that can cause or be related to PTSD  but its still  PTSD. After they make an evaluation they can let you know what it is? just be open and honest during your evaluation and if your sent to a Forensic C&P  be honest with your answers.

Tell the Dr's everything you mention here...remember you don't need to be in combat to a traumatic event. it can be anything that traumatized you physically or psychologically speaking.  

And don't be feeling guilty because you were not ordered in a combat zone or had to be in a combat situation you followed orders and that's what all of us had to do.

I applaud your 20 years of military service.

Edited by Buck52
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PTSD Service Connection was liberalized back around 12 or 13. "The Fear Of" just about anything became grounds for a PTSD SC Filing, no actual Combat exposure required. It's up to the VA PTSD Forensic C & P Psychiatrist to determine if a Vet's Claimed Stressor meets the requirements, as well as eliminating Malingering.

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"Anxiety" is not a diagnosis, its a symptom of PTSD, depression and some others.  Have you been diagnosed with depression or PTSD?  I dont recommend you apply for benefits for "anxiety", but instead what your doctor has already diagnosed:  Depression, Bipolar, etc.  Or, apply for "general" mental disorders.  

It would be a shame to delay your benefits for years because you applied for depression and your doc diagnosed you with PTSD, etc.  

The VA sometimes denies for one disorder..because you have not been diagnosed with it..even tho you have been diagnosed with something similar.  PTSD vs depression, etc.  

That usually wont stick in the courts, but do you really want to wait 5 years for appeals?  I dont.  This is why I dont recommend applying for "anxiety", but instead check and see what doc has diagnosed you for, and apply for THAT condition.  PTSD/depression, etc.  

I dont suggest you do "self diagnosis" because your opinion wont matter, anyway, its what the doctor says.  

Have you ordered your cfile and medical records?  If not, you need to.  Are you on antidepressant meds, such as Wellburtron, Zoloft, Atavan, etc?  

PREVENT DENIALS and delays by making sure of what you apply for.  Dont guess.  Read what the doc says.  

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  • HadIt.com Elder

 Good points from Gastone & broncovet,This Veteran was a Drill Instructor  and I can only image the stress he went through, also he states he was not in combat, but he don't have to be in combat to come down with PTSD , he needs an event that caused his stress  ANXIETY and that can be any trauma he witness during his 20 years in the military

trauma events can be things like witness to a automobile accident helping remove a dead body out of a car  ect,,ect,,, witness another person dying,  physical & mental Abuse, fear of having to go to a combat zone but never did  that is a stressful type trauma , if you were ok before the military no child abuse  or rape or any type abuse  and after military your life and behavior has changed  you need to think back of anything that could caused you to have the anxiety and stress ,depressed feelings you have today while in the military.

Edited by Buck52
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