Any Veterans?

[Bluetwo]

Did anybody experience BP while in the service?
I had my eposides...never diagnosed and never treated.

Any good stories to share?

[Venora Moonwind]

I was in the Air Force but I wasnt dx till years later. I have been bi polar all my life.Just didnt know it.
Love Venora

[Darkestlight]

Well I can promise you they did try to treat him in Iraq, didn't work out well for the poor guy. I don't know why in the world they would do that. They also know he had a traumatic brain injury as a child. They aren't discharging him. I don't understand it either, but I know the stories true. If he can't make it through one deployment I don't know how he's of any use to the army now or later.

[Bluetwo]

Your story sounds a little bit off.
Were retired military.

If the Army doctors diagnosed their soldiers with BP that is a automatic out.
You get a honorable medical discharged.
You can't keep a person in the military because BP's depend on their medication and you can't get your RX refilled behind enemy lines.
Getting sick is unpredictable and your not helping your unit if you have a disability like that.

My husband works in uniform issue now. Anybody who fibbed to the recruiter that they never used Ritalin are automatically discharge from bootcamp especially when they go through withdraw symptoms while in training. They get a medical discharge but no VA benefits to treat them because they fibbed to the recruiter.

If the person is close to retirement and develops BP/PTDS...the only compassionate thing to do is let them stay state side to get the proper treatment before being discharged.

When I was in the early 80's I saw many people with BP or some form of mental illness but they were not diagnosed or treated. They didn't have the resources to treat people with mental illness because people transfer around a lot.

Looks like the same case now.

[Darkestlight]

My husband is in the army so I know a few guys who are bipolar and still serve. One friend of mine was sent home from Iraq because they decided to start messing with his meds while he was over there and the wrong combination of meds made him suicidal. He's not going back this rotation, but he's also not being chaptered out either. The military knew about his condition when he joined.
My husband has had a few sgts in his past that were bipolar.