I'm Worried, I am unsure how to handle this.

Hey there,

I have a good amount of medical conditions that is starting to weigh to heavily on me. I have the typical back problems from being so tall on the ship and other physical injuries, but what I am really worried about is my mental health.

I already have been diagnosed with major depression and anxiety, which plays a toll on me physically as well. Every morning I have anxiety attacks and I have to through up as a result along with IBS. i'm always late to work because of it. I never have an appetite anymore, so I only eat every couple of days. I have insomnia as well. They tried giving me multiple medications to fix all of this, but it is not working. I'm at a point I can't take this stuff going on anymore as it is that debilitating. I am a high risk instructor and I'm not sure if I am "fit" for duty. I don't know how to bring this up to the chain of command as I cannot do this anymore. I'm worried about what will end up happening to me if I stay and well as if they process me out. As far as the processing out, is there any type of severance pay? How do I start the process if I wanted to get a PEB or MRB? I don't necessarily want to get out at the moment (due to financial obligations), but I do not plan on re-enlisting when my contract is up in AUG 2019. For the reason I don't want to get out just yet, i'm worried about which direction I should go. Thank you for your help/insight.

~C.D.

 

[Fusedfrom4-1]

I’m fairly sure you can self refer to behavioral health, which means skipping your provider and anyone specific to your chain. As I can see this problem is causing stress specifically with the command side, get help now, tell them later. Voice your concerns with your BH doctor, you’ll get good info here, but ya gotta take care of you foremost. Get someone on your side so you don’t feel cornered and alone because that’s a breeding ground for the anxiety and obsessive thinking. You’ll be good

 

[tony292]

Get your mental health doc and the doc handling the IBS to Initiate MEB. Make sure that they both get included in the meb as early as the narsum stage, that way you’ll be more likely to have both included as unfitting and a higher dod rating. Get this stuff started now because if you wait until near your ETS, the chain of command can try and stall it and just have you get out. The meb process can take a year anyway. Read, read, read... you must be your own advocate, don’t expect anyone to take you by the hand and help you through the process. Take charge and be proactive and learn as much as you can.

 

[OMEGV]

I’m fairly sure you can self refer to behavioral health, which means skipping your provider and anyone specific to your chain. As I can see this problem is causing stress specifically with the command side, get help now, tell them later. Voice your concerns with your BH doctor, you’ll get good info here, but ya gotta take care of you foremost. Get someone on your side so you don’t feel cornered and alone because that’s a breeding ground for the anxiety and obsessive thinking. You’ll be good

Thank you so much for your reply. I was currently going to behavioral health, but I stopped a while ago when my primary provider went away a year early on special orders. I haven't had anyone else that could actually help me. I may see if I can get referred to a private practice if they accept Tricare patients.

 

[OMEGV]

Get your mental health doc and the doc handling the IBS to Initiate MEB. Make sure that they both get included in the meb as early as the narsum stage, that way you’ll be more likely to have both included as unfitting and a higher dod rating. Get this stuff started now because if you wait until near your ETS, the chain of command can try and stall it and just have you get out. The meb process can take a year anyway. Read, read, read... you must be your own advocate, don’t expect anyone to take you by the hand and help you through the process. Take charge and be proactive and learn as much as you can.

I really appreciate your response. The only other question I have is what is the "narsum" stage? I believe this goes with the fact that I need to read read read. Which I definitely will do because I want to make sure I'm taken care of if the MEB comes through and I am seen as unfit. I shocked at how long it takes, which means I do need to get on it now if I have a year and 8 months remaining. Thank you for the info and encouragement of what I need to be doing as well.

 

[tony292]

Narrative summary. It basically is a write up that explains what will become unfitting conditions. In my case there was a narsum, and a behavioral health narsum addendum. I was found unfit for both a neurological disease and mental health. Had it not been for the behavioral health addendum, mental health would not have been found unfitting.