Claiming PTSD

[NFLBOYU]

My 26 year old brother has been to Iraq three times. He has been back in the U.S. for almost 3 years now. His job in the Army had to do with ordering supplies. He never saw combat. He has a job here in the U.S. similar to the one he had in the Army. He uses his PTSD as a reason for not doing  a lot things.  He also uses PTSD as a reason for smoking a LOT of pot. He plays video games for hours and hours.  One of the games he likes to play is a war game where he gets to shoot people. I think it's called Battlefield. Other than being lazy, I don't see any symptoms of PTSD. He doesn't see a therapist.  He doesn't get any benefits from the Army for it either.

He also takes some courses online and claims he has homework to do when he is asked to do something.  However, he can find time for his video games.

I think he's lying.  What do you think?

[Devonai]

Welcome to the forum!

I think I'll let Fitz handle this one.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

hmmm before he gets up i'll take a shot. I don't know your brother so I can not speak specifically for him.
 I do know a lot of people with mental illnesses like to get high. not sure which comes first the chicken or the egg there. PTSD is very in vogue now as a diagnosis and drug users are by nature manipulative people who will key it on that and use it.
 is your belief that your brother is lying based on a lifetime of deception by him?
 or is it rooted in resentment that he's getting over on people now?
 has he been professionally assessed suffering from PTSD?
 its real hard for family members to make this type of call. too much history gets in the way.
arw there folks who fake it? yes
is brother one of themm? maybe but i don't know and suspect you don't either. i treat this gently.
i have a brother with a mental illness that presents similarly.for years i thought he wad playing us.i found out i was wrong by meeting other folks like him.its was easier to discuss and see the symptoms and effects in someone i had no baggage with and then in.turn relate this to my brother.
in a life with quite a number of less than proud moments realizing i was wrong and had not been kind to him ranks as a pinnacle of assholery for me. .
damn phone

[vaskidmark]

Welcome to the forum.

It is quite possible that your brother does in fact have PTSD.  But neither of you will ever know until he gets an "official" diagnosis.  It does not have to be from the VA, but it needs to be from a mental health provider.  One way to entice him to get it checked out is to remind him that he might be eligible for disability compensation through the VA if in fact he has PTSD.

Trauma is not limited to experiencing combat.  (Quite frankly, my experiences with military supply probably qualifies as traumatic.  Some of the other vets wioll probably add an "Amen" to that.)  Not all those who have PTSD are raving lunatics, or spend their time huddled in a corner wimpering, or even lash out at the slightest provocation.  The symptoms" you describe could be related to PTSD as easily as they could be evidence that he is a slacker.

And even if he is a slacker using the excuse of PTSD, you will probably never get him to change by nagging or ragging on him.  On the off chance that he actually has PTSD, see if you can get him to get an "official" diagnosis.    If he won't go, or if it comes back negative, you may be better off stopping complaining anyhow - unless you are financially supporting him or physically caring for him.  (If your parents are supporting him and are not otherwise hurting financially, remember that it is their money and their decision.)

People with PTSD do not suffer in ways that are usually associated with "suffering from a disease".  Some of us would rather have lost a body part than go through PTSD.  And being who we are, asking for help with what we are going through is not always high on the list of things we are willing to do.

stay safe.

[Fitz]

Everyone has said it better than I could

He could be faking it

Or it could be legit.

For me, I think my family would know if it was fake. But then again, for me my main symptoms are a bit worse than laziness and apathy

[Jamisjockey]

Does he actually have a PTSD diagnosis?
Also in Iraq and Afghanistan many REMF' s experienced shelling and mortar attacks.  Not combat per se but I'm sure the experience of randomly being attacked without the ability to fight back could be quite unnerving. 
There is a new label called "adjustment disorder".  I'll hold my tounge on my opinion of it, but it's basically the REMF version of PTSD.  People spending so much time deployed having issues trying to adjust to the trappings of normal life.
Or, he's just a lazy *expletive deleted*ck who wants to smoke pot.

[Hawkmoon]

He uses his PTSD as a reason for not doing  a lot things.  He also uses PTSD as a reason for smoking a LOT of pot. He plays video games for hours and hours.  One of the games he likes to play is a war game where he gets to shoot people. I think it's called Battlefield. Other than being lazy, I don't see any symptoms of PTSD. He doesn't see a therapist.  He doesn't get any benefits from the Army for it either.

...

I think he's lying.  What do you think?

Why did you write "his PTSD," as if you acknowledge that he has PTSD? PTSD is a standard diagnosis. It is diagnosed by mental health practitioners. If there is no diagnosis, there is no valid basis for anyone to claim PTSD. Can someone have it without having been diagnosed? Sure -- one of the problems the military and the VA are wrestling with is getting sandbox veterans who may have PTSD to come in and get checked out.

However, anyone who claims to have PTSD (on the basis of having been a supply clerk, even in the sandbox) yet who hasn't done anything about it and won't do anything about it doesn't get any sympathy from me. And IMHO they don't have it.

[Ryan in Maine]

My 26 year old brother has been to Iraq three times. He has been back in the U.S. for almost 3 years now. His job in the Army had to do with ordering supplies. He never saw combat. He has a job here in the U.S. similar to the one he had in the Army. He uses his PTSD as a reason for not doing  a lot things.  He also uses PTSD as a reason for smoking a LOT of pot. He plays video games for hours and hours.  One of the games he likes to play is a war game where he gets to shoot people. I think it's called Battlefield. Other than being lazy, I don't see any symptoms of PTSD. He doesn't see a therapist.  He doesn't get any benefits from the Army for it either.

He also takes some courses online and claims he has homework to do when he is asked to do something.  However, he can find time for his video games.

I think he's lying.  What do you think?

- Three trips to Iraq before his mid-20's can be traumatic. Combat is not a requirement for PTSD. The majority of people with PTSD are ordinary civilians with no military affiliation whatsoever.

- He's working. That's awesome. If he's actually experiencing any of the symptoms of PTSD, it's also brave.

- PTSD as an excuse only flies with a recognized diagnosis from a psyche doctor. But he's working. What's he refusing to do?

- Cannabis for PTSD could be the future of treatment, as far as I'm concerned. No sense in pushing far riskier drugs on veterans.

- Most people I know are addicted to video games to varying degrees. First-person shooters are great fun.

- He needs to see a psyche doc. Not a therapist. Someone who specializes and can prescribe/control medication preferably. Some therapists are great, but will need to send him on referral trips for meds.

- If he has PTSD and has a recognized diagnosis, he should qualify for bennies.

- Can you verify his online coursework?

I see no indication of lying. Lying about PTSD usually revolves around unemployment and disability.

[Tallpine]

I suppose that all of us have some degree of PTSD about something or other that happened to us 

[Hawkmoon]

- He needs to see a psyche doc. Not a therapist. Someone who specializes and can prescribe/control medication preferably. Some therapists are great, but will need to send him on referral trips for meds.

Only psychiatrists (who are MDs before progressing into psychotherapy) can prescribe medications for mental issues. And only psychiatrists are psychotherapists. Clinical psychologists and clinical social workers are psychologists and counselors, but not "therapists" -- and they can't prescribe controlled medications.  And I cannot recommend any situation in which one mental health counselor is doing the actual counseling, but is "referring" the patient/client to some pill-pusher for the meds. That's a recipe for disaster, it's at least unethical, and it's probably illegal.

[BobR]

I suppose that all of us have some degree of PTSD about something or other that happened to us 

Quoted for the truth!

bob

[SteveS]

Only psychiatrists (who are MDs before progressing into psychotherapy) can prescribe medications for mental issues. And only psychiatrists are psychotherapists. Clinical psychologists and clinical social workers are psychologists and counselors, but not "therapists" -- and they can't prescribe controlled medications.  And I cannot recommend any situation in which one mental health counselor is doing the actual counseling, but is "referring" the patient/client to some pill-pusher for the meds. That's a recipe for disaster, it's at least unethical, and it's probably illegal.

Why shouldn't a therapist send a client to a doctor for meds?  I worked in that field for a decade and never saw a psychiatrist that did therapy. I am sure that a few still do, but the majority (at least in the Midwest) spend much of their time prescribing and monitoring medication.

Psychotherapy includes a variety of therapies and a variety of practitioners.

[Hawkmoon]

Why shouldn't a therapist send a client to a doctor for meds?

I'm pretty sure that, under the laws in my state, only a psychiatrist (in other words, a medical doctor who can prescribe) can call him/herself a "therapist." I suppose I shouldn't be surprised if the laws are different in other states.

I am aware that mental health includes a variety of modalities and a variety of practitioners (I used to be certified in a couple myself), but at least here, the aw-thaw-ri-tees frown on having one "therapist" doing the therapy and a different one doling out the pills. I don't often agree with my state government but, on that issue, I do agree. Not all treatment modalities require medication. If I couldn't handle something without meds, I didn't keep on keeping on and send the client to a pill pusher, I referred the client to someone I thought was more appropriate to treat their issues.

[SteveS]

I'm pretty sure that, under the laws in my state, only a psychiatrist (in other words, a medical doctor who can prescribe) can call him/herself a "therapist." I suppose I shouldn't be surprised if the laws are different in other states.

I am aware that mental health includes a variety of modalities and a variety of practitioners (I used to be certified in a couple myself), but at least here, the aw-thaw-ri-tees frown on having one "therapist" doing to therapy and a different one doling out the pills. I don't often agree with my state government but, on that issue, I do agree. Not all treatment modalities require medication. If I couldn't handle something without meds, I didn't keep on keeping on and send the client to a pill pusher, I referred the client to someone I thought was more appropriate to treat their issues.

Gotcha. In my state, there were some limitations as to what therapists could call themselves. Counselors had to be licensed in professional counseling, social workers had to have an MSW, etc. AFAIK, psychotherapists could have several different degrees.

Back when I did this, about half my caseload was on medication, but I worked closely with the psychiatrist that prescribed it. Like I said, in my state there are probably only a handful of psychiatrists that do therapy.

[RevDisk]

There is a new label called "adjustment disorder".  I'll hold my tounge on my opinion of it, but it's basically the REMF version of PTSD.  People spending so much time deployed having issues trying to adjust to the trappings of normal life.

Eh, I buy that one. It was weird as hell transitioning. The only "negative" part personally was I couldn't sleep without a rifle within arms reach. I don't mean "had trouble sleeping", I mean, "physically could not GO to sleep, and would wake up in an aggressive manner if it was moved outside of arms reach". Took a couple months to wear off.

Not saying it is or should be considered a huge deal, but it's quite real from personal experience. Don't know if the SGM blowing his head off because his wife of 20 plus years was cheating on him counts under that sort of thing either. But it can be jarring to folks that you went through a stressful X months experience complete outside of normal American life, took or saved some lives, did blah blah blah, and ultimately, no one gives an excrement.

[Tallpine]

I couldn't sleep without a rifle within arms reach.

There are people that sleep without a rifle within arms reach 

 

[tokugawa]

I suppose that all of us have some degree of PTSD about something or other that happened to us 

  Yep.  Maybe we need two classes- one for combat vets, and the other for everyone else who ever had to hold a dying kid, deal with bad accidents, watch a buddy get eaten by a snapped cable, etc, add infinitum.
 
 Maybe what we are really looking at is that our coddled society has gotten so soft and protected that stuff that was once considered normal life experience is now considered traumatic stress.

[vaskidmark]

  Yep.  Maybe we need two classes- one for combat vets, and the other for everyone else who ever had to hold a dying kid, deal with bad accidents, watch a buddy get eaten by a snapped cable, etc, add infinitum.
 
 Maybe what we are really looking at is that our coddled society has gotten so soft and protected that stuff that was once considered normal life experience is now considered traumatic stress.

IMHO combat trauma is no different than non-combat trauma.  Stuff I heard and saw and did in a combat zone still does not seem to bother me.  Stuff that happened before, and different stuff that happened after leaving RVN are my sources of PTSD problems.  Because I was in the .mil when those things happened I get to be lumped in with the rest of the crazy Viet Vets.

But as you so eloquently say, hangnails and not winning the lottrery have been elevated to "trauma".

As an aside, most folks do not separate survivor guilt from PTSD.  Some folks with PTSD also have survivor guilt, but some folks with survivor guilt do not have PTSD.  Worse, most folks do not understand that survivor guilt can happen to folks who never crossed the city limits line, let alone joined the military and/or entered a combat zone.

Got a question - since the VA rates PTSD as low as 15%, will obesity from medical marijuana get a separate disability rating and will it be enough to bring vets up to the 30% threshold for no copay on meds and travel pay to/from the VAMCs?

stay safe.