Being a disabled vet, I have a strong love hate relationship with the VA. I have had some awesome experiences and some rather unpleasant ones as well. Of those unpleasant experiences, most of them have something to do with mental health issues stemming from my bipolar disorder.
For some context, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2017 during a lengthy stay at the Laurel Ridge mental health treatment facility in San Antonio, Texas. Prior to my admittance, I had experienced a severe manic episode and checked myself into the hospital in fear that I was going insane. The significance here is that I had recently retired from the military, spending 19 years active duty, all the while being misdiagnosed by a plethora of psychiatrists alone the way.
Since my diagnosis, I have had several experiences with the VA where their handling of situations had come into question. Instances where medications were either too intense, not intense enough or where calls for assistance with meds were ignored all together. But there was one specific instance which came in December, 2021 that would completely challenge my trust altogether. Prior to this particular instance, I had been experiencing issues wherein I was diagnosed with colitis (an inflammation of the inner lining of the colon). I was seeing a civilian provider outside of my normal VA treatment facility. The doctor prescribed me a medication which said to be a possible trigger against Lithium, the primary medication used to treat my bipolar symptoms. This was a common occurrence being that Lithium is sensitive and does not react well with many medications. Therefore, I contacted my local VA provider and informed them of the situation. I asked to speak to my psychiatrist in order to get his evaluation. A week passed with no contact being made. Still experiencing symptoms from the colitis, I decided to proceed with taking the newly prescribed medication. That proved to be a mistake as the new meds caused me to experience several manic episodes, all within the first few days of its introduction. One of these episodes happened outside of the home and caused great embarrassment on my part. As soon as we identified the drastic mood changes, I immediately stopped taking the meds and again attempted to contact my VA psychiatrist. Again, my please for help and guidance went ignored for another week, all the while I was still reeling from the effects of the unfortunate chemical mixture in my system. It wasn’t until I started bombarding providers outside of my psychiatrist links that heads started to roll, or so I thought. I received the submissive apologies one always gets when the VA messes up. And they did supply me with a new psychiatrist; however, I still haven’t spoken to him yet. That’s right, it’s been four months since this event happened yet I still have not spoken with a doc who can assist with medication. I’ve had 2 appointments with the new doctor that both eventually got canceled; one the day of.
Let me say it out loud, there are incredible people who are associated with the VA. Those horror stories you hear about normally involve a tiny number of VA representatives. But the story above is just one example of millions where the VA dropped the ball when assisting a veteran. Folks let’s face it, situations such as these are the reason we have so many veteran suicides. Yes, I’ve been suicidal in the past and there was a time where I reached out and was thrown into an even worse mess than I was in in the first place. At this point, 22 veterans a day take their own lives. When will the VA finally figure out that they are part of the problem? This is another reason why SAS was created. One day I hope to travel to bases, VFW’s, American Legions and other events where veterans are at. I hope to speak words of truth, letting them know that life is worth living and that they are not alone. We will make a difference. We will save lives.
SAS 