VA Psyc Eval coming up

[Glo809]

Greetings
Nov 20th appt in Detroit for a 3 hour evaluation.

Trying not to stress about this but I dreamed about being in court and on the stand defending that I truly did have PTSD.

And slept like shit. And this appointment is almost 6 months since my suicide attempt and already been thinking about that lately so what's a little more stress??

And I'm still driving 300 to 500 miles a night and it has started snowing and icing on secondary roads. All meds at Max and a full bottle of hylands nerve tonic for spot extra help.

Having to prove I'm f*cked up, is a new one for me.

Hope to hear from those who have been there done that.

Take Care All You All
G

 

[IceQueencop]

@Glo809 - you have a lot on your plate. Does driving calm you down? Be careful out there!

The psych evals suck. Hopefully you’ll get a decent doc that actually wants to make sure you get the help you need. I had a bad doc for my eval, not military, but law enforcement. Long story short, doc can have his opinion, but mine flat out messed with the facts. Not ok!

Do you have an Atty representing you for court? I hope so, then you just have to tell the truth about what’s happening with you.
Maybe try not to think about this as proving you’re f*d up, but proving you’re entitled to benefits, treatment and help. Not much better if you have the same low self-esteem as the rest of us, because a lot of us would say we’re not worth the effort of the benefits. But, that’s all you need to prove.

Take care,
IQC

 

[Glo809]

Greetings
The court thing was in a dream and no Atty on my side.

Yes driving for a living and slow one lane farm roads to relax because I'm. The only one out there and can stop.and watch the farmed work or wildlife.

G

 

[IceQueencop]

Hello @Glo809 -
I’m glad you don’t have to go to court. I just got notice of my hearing, so I guess I assumed you might have one in the future, too.
The psych eval will likely be an hour or so, there will be an interview and then some bubble tests like the MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory), the CPI (California Personality Inventory), or other similar tests. The tests ask about your perceptions and some physical stuff. They also assess your tendency towards truthfulness by asking similar questions phrased differently. For example, “I like potatoes.” You would answer true or false and keep going, then you’d find the question, “I don’t like potatoes.” If you answered true to both of them it would send off red flags when the test gets analyzed.

If you have a good doc they will encourage you to talk during the interview and be an empathetic listener. The bubble tests are only hard because you have to sit still and try to focus to fill in the bubbles. Make sure your consistent, the easiest way to do that is to make sure you’re honest.

I’m glad driving helps you to relax.
Again, don’t think of this as having to prove youre f*d up, just that you’re eligible for benefits. Your body and your mind responded to things you were exposed to during your service and changed a fundamental part of you. The VA needs to provide you with assistance to help make you whole.

 

[Glo809]

Greetings
The two main incidents was the air flordia crash in wash DC and a shooting situation about 5 years later, both happens in the 80's.

And about 3 years ago the ptsd fired it's. First real shot at me, and it was a direct hit.

Been under the gun since
G

 

[IceQueencop]

Hello @Glo809,
I can relate to the incidents, but I can’t imagine how you kept away from PTSD for so long. Maybe things were different, no protests, people wanting you dead? Maybe also awareness?
Hopefully you have an idea what triggered you and what you need now.
I had the opportunity to meet with a number of vets dealing with PTSD, some in tough situations. Alcohol makes things so much worse. But some of these guys have really inpressed me with their mindfulness and their ability to maintain control. The VA has some good programs to help with PTSD. Think about accessing those services like you would at a health club or golf club. You didn’t just sign up for one thing, you get to use all the benefits.
Your PTSD is service-related even if you were triggered by something else.

 

[Glo809]

I was USCG 78 to 90

G

 

[IceQueencop]

Thank you for your service. It is important work.

 

[Freida]

Sorry I didn't see this until today....
how did it go??
And did you see the military group? C'mon over and join us. :hug: