Leon,

Example: In addition to the VA shrink being a biased Neocon, at least the Therapist was open minded, but he was disabled too – go figure. I mean mentally unstable. At least I got along with him because we had something in common – mental illness.

Another example: The primary care physcian I had at the VA, an Iranian BTW, referred me to mental health for Anger Management Rap Session. When I showed up for the session my political views had become so common knowledge at the VAMC that the only three people who showed up for the Rap session were another Neocon shrink, and patient affairs talking dog to tell me the Anger Management sessions had been cancilled for political reasons. They actually told me that. In a Rap session that even incarcerted Vets can attend IF under guard, it was cancilled because I was viewed as a politcal threat.

Another example: I tried to attend a Iraq-Afghanistan Vet PTSD Rap session being formed way back in 2005 as the VA was experimenting with it. Ironically over half the members showing up to Rap were Vietnam Vets dissatisfied with their Vietnam War Rap sessions. What really took the cake is that active duty or Guard members subject to recall were the focus NOT Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans in the true sense of the meaning.

Rules of Engagement: You could only be part of any Rap group at the VA if you did not in anyway question the war(s) that you believe contributed to your PTSD. DUMB, DUMB, DUMB.

Hell, if I go out to my listserve and tell the vast number of younger Vets on it that in order to get PTSD treatment at the VA is to only talk about the good things about war, how many young and smarter Vets would go???? Not too many.

In fact, the rap groups was to focus on Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan War Vets not active duty or Vietnam Vets who had their own sessions.

I was not impressed by either the active duty Vets who either could not see how their ops tempo had nothing to do with their PTSD,  and they were not allowed to talk about it even if it did due to the Hatch Act. The Vietnam Vets must have either been invited to attend by the VA baby sitter, because most of them were Reich wing Vets.

That I could have live with, but you see I have a therapy dog who keeps me from wanting to kill anything or put my fist through a wall or you. When some overweight Vietnam Vet sits in his wheel chair and is telling young Iraq and Afghanistan Vets that he still got a thrill out of killing small birds and squirrils in his backyard.

That was the first and last Rap session for me, because yep I had bipolar for sure, maybe even PTSD, but to sit and listen to this nonsense while some VA admin employee monitoring us tells me not to talk politics is not my idea of PTSD therapy or Rap session.

Hell, PTSD by birth and definition IS ALL ABOUT POLITICS!!!

Anyway, I feel my bipolar and PTSD whatever is under control enough that I don’t want to end my life because of other people’s (politicians and Reich wing nuts) mistakes, I know when to play THE GAME, so I get my Mental Health medication maintenance from an Air Force Base.

When they ask me if I want to be seen by the Air Force shrink now that the war(s) are no longer popular even within the Air Force, I tell the USAF doctor that IF anyone can convince me to blindly support the Iraq or Afghanistan war or occupation I’ll take them up on Mental Health. In fact, I put it this way. "I’m a retired officer, I’m suppose to blindly support Wars, so I must be nuts when I feel smarter than that. I’d love for someone at the base to cure me so that I can passionately support any war the vast majority of American’s don’t or won’t, especially if called upon to fight it beside me."

The response I got from Air Force personnel was quite distinctive than from VA personnel, instead of telling me to not talk politics, I was told that I was an AMERICAN!

Leon,

To be honest with you, I was having similar symptoms tied to PTSD, and tied to trauma both combat related and personal, however I went into the VA Claims process knowing full well just how controversial and politically charged the issue of PTSD had become and this was before the Global War on Terror, well just before circa 2000-2001.

Point: I was diagnosed with Major Depression, a slight dementia by a Navy medical doctor who referred me to a Navy Shrink and I was a DON civilian not Sailor. However, that said, it was the medical doctor not shrink who prescribed zolft for me. That was a year or so before filing my VA Claim.

By the time I filed my claim I was seeing an outside shrink via TRICARE as a military retiree. The base Mental Health clinic really didn’t want to touch retirees because by now it was wartime and they could not really control how retirees THINK.

Long story short, I was advised by my civilian shrink that was familiar with VA Claims to not apply for PTSD but bipolar as disagnosed by him and another shrink in office. This was tied to my military records only because I happened to be smart enough to keep my military medical records at home with me instead of at the base hospital that is until the Air Force wised up to the idea that if Vets had immediate access to their military medical records we could more easily file a VA Claim. I assume they caught onto this via interaction with the VA. Anyway, if you are a retiree than you know we are no longer allowed to keep our military medical records at home despite the military no longer using paper records per se but automated computer databases on us. HUM.

Back to your point, see I do have bipolar. I went to the VA Mental Health clinic for a few visits but my attitude and views on the war did not quite fit in with the attitude and views of my VA Shrink a retired Air Force Colonel passionate Bush supporter, and so on.

Example: In addition to the VA shrink being a biased Neocon, at least the Therapist was open minded, but he was disabled too – go figure. I mean mentally unstable. At least I got along with him because we had something in common – mental illness.

Another example: The primary care physcian I had at the VA, an Iranian BTW, referred me to mental health for Anger Management Rap Session. When I showed up for the session my political views had become so common knowledge at the VAMC that the only three people who showed up for the Rap session were another Neocon shrink, and patient affairs talking dog to tell me the Anger Management sessions had been cancilled for political reasons. They actually told me that. In a Rap session that even incarcerted Vets can attend IF under guard, it was cancilled because I was viewed as a politcal threat.

Another example: I tried to attend a Iraq-Afghanistan Vet PTSD Rap session being formed way back in 2005 as the VA was experimenting with it. Ironically over half the members showing up to Rap were Vietnam Vets dissatisfied with their Vietnam War Rap sessions. What really took the cake is that active duty or Guard members subject to recall were the focus NOT Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans in the true sense of the meaning.

Rules of Engagement: You could only be part of any Rap group at the VA if you did not in anyway question the war(s) that you believe contributed to your PTSD. DUMB, DUMB, DUMB.

Hell, if I go out to my listserve and tell the vast number of younger Vets on it that in order to get PTSD treatment at the VA is to only talk about the good things about war, how many young and smarter Vets would go???? Not too many.

In fact, the rap groups was to focus on Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan War Vets not active duty or Vietnam Vets who had their own sessions.

I was not impressed by either the active duty Vets who either could not see how their ops tempo had nothing to do with their PTSD,  and they were not allowed to talk about it even if it did due to the Hatch Act. The Vietnam Vets must have either been invited to attend by the VA baby sitter, because most of them were Reich wing Vets.

That I could have live with, but you see I have a therapy dog who keeps me from wanting to kill anything or put my fist through a wall or you. When some overweight Vietnam Vet sits in his wheel chair and is telling young Iraq and Afghanistan Vets that he still got a thrill out of killing small birds and squirrils in his backyard.

That was the first and last Rap session for me, because yep I had bipolar for sure, maybe even PTSD, but to sit and listen to this nonsense while some VA admin employee monitoring us tells me not to talk politics is not my idea of PTSD therapy or Rap session.

Hell, PTSD by birth and definition IS ALL ABOUT POLITICS!!!

Anyway, I feel my bipolar and PTSD whatever is under control enough that I don’t want to end my life because of other people’s (politicians and Reich wing nuts) mistakes, I know when to play THE GAME, so I get my Mental Health medication maintenance from an Air Force Base.

When they ask me if I want to be seen by the Air Force shrink now that the war(s) are no longer popular even within the Air Force, I tell the USAF doctor that IF anyone can convince me to blindly support the Iraq or Afghanistan war or occupation I’ll take them up on Mental Health. In fact, I put it this way. "I’m a retired officer, I’m suppose to blindly support Wars, so I must be nuts when I feel smarter than that. I’d love for someone at the base to cure me so that I can passionately support any war the vast majority of American’s don’t or won’t, especially if called upon to fight it beside me."

The response I got from Air Force personnel was quite distinctive than from VA personnel, instead of telling me to not talk politics, I was told that I was an AMERICAN!