I recently was awarded 70 and IU for an anxiety disorder, nos along with my 30 % s/c gastro condition = 80 with IU.
In this forum I read that the Vet Centers were created because Vietnam veterans were afraid to get Psych treatment at VAMC well I was one of them, but I neither received treatment at the Vet Centers cause I was afraid of the system.
Now, here I go with my GAF story, I was sent to PIC by a C&P psychiatry that was to do a C&P examination on me on 2009.
The PIC doctor medicated me and sent me back to the C&P doctor to complete the C&P examination drugingly, as I was only suffering from frustration and neither alcohol nor illegal drugs were involve, a blood test was also taken. This PIC and C&P situation triggered me in returning to PIC cause the PIC doctor told me that in the future if I experienced an emotional crisis, that I go to them.
She was extremely compassionate and caring. Well I was convince and I returned and for the past year I have been getting treatment for anxiety and mayor depression disorder that developed from the illness adjustment disorder I had for decades, connected to my gastro conditions.
So, within a year I have been receiving the best of care at the VA mental health clinic, they are not like I used to think and hear they were since the only things I heard were horror stories from other Vets and the media so I stayed away from them.
Anyway, while getting psychological one and one treatment with the psychologist for six months I questioned the therapist why that after six months of treatments twice a month I decided to go to "Release of Information Dept." to get copies of my visits, I noticed that the GAF scores were always the same, UNCHANGED always a GAF-60????
I explained to him that I was a Data Processing Programmer and Operations Proffesional for many years and that I studied the GAF system how it worked. Just trying to understand the system, that is why I am in this forum to educate myself and others.
I told him that in many visits I came in with either serious or more than serious presentations which merit a GAF lower than 50 as the reports would indicate, he politely said that it's hospital policy not to give a GAF lower than 60 for outpatient treatments, cause otherwise the patient had to be hospitalized as a lower GAF indicates suicidal and homicidal tendecies.
I quetioned that a person can't be hospitalized against their will without a court order and that it doesn't sound proper. I told the doctor that I receive SSDI benefits for Mayor Depression and that when I did go see my private psychiatrist he almost always gave me a GAF of less than 50 if I presented with such symptoms, cause he knew that I was disabled and receiving SSDI.
I told him that those instructions from management don't feel correct. I really can't say much more as I don't have all the details why this policy is in place at this VAMC or if it is true. I do know that the GAF score is a judgement call from the treating physician and I should not be questioning health care professionals in how they do there job and I in getting the proper medical care. But, I am human and I am curious about this, cause the GAF is part of the overall adjudication process for MH claims.
"If all private mental health care proffesionals gave their patients a GAF lower than 60 and subsequent hospitalizations for that threshold the hospitals would be innundated with patients and won't be able to hold them and would implode."
He could'nt answer me for that, he was very polite and caring and I felt that he didn't agreed with such policy either, he is a good doctor, never the less I would never put his career in jeoperdy for his honesty and I choose not to name the VAMC.
God bless America, Waiting for feedback.
In this forum I read that the Vet Centers were created because Vietnam veterans were afraid to get Psych treatment at VAMC well I was one of them, but I neither received treatment at the Vet Centers cause I was afraid of the system.
Now, here I go with my GAF story, I was sent to PIC by a C&P psychiatry that was to do a C&P examination on me on 2009.
The PIC doctor medicated me and sent me back to the C&P doctor to complete the C&P examination drugingly, as I was only suffering from frustration and neither alcohol nor illegal drugs were involve, a blood test was also taken. This PIC and C&P situation triggered me in returning to PIC cause the PIC doctor told me that in the future if I experienced an emotional crisis, that I go to them.
She was extremely compassionate and caring. Well I was convince and I returned and for the past year I have been getting treatment for anxiety and mayor depression disorder that developed from the illness adjustment disorder I had for decades, connected to my gastro conditions.
So, within a year I have been receiving the best of care at the VA mental health clinic, they are not like I used to think and hear they were since the only things I heard were horror stories from other Vets and the media so I stayed away from them.
Anyway, while getting psychological one and one treatment with the psychologist for six months I questioned the therapist why that after six months of treatments twice a month I decided to go to "Release of Information Dept." to get copies of my visits, I noticed that the GAF scores were always the same, UNCHANGED always a GAF-60????
I explained to him that I was a Data Processing Programmer and Operations Proffesional for many years and that I studied the GAF system how it worked. Just trying to understand the system, that is why I am in this forum to educate myself and others.
I told him that in many visits I came in with either serious or more than serious presentations which merit a GAF lower than 50 as the reports would indicate, he politely said that it's hospital policy not to give a GAF lower than 60 for outpatient treatments, cause otherwise the patient had to be hospitalized as a lower GAF indicates suicidal and homicidal tendecies.
I quetioned that a person can't be hospitalized against their will without a court order and that it doesn't sound proper. I told the doctor that I receive SSDI benefits for Mayor Depression and that when I did go see my private psychiatrist he almost always gave me a GAF of less than 50 if I presented with such symptoms, cause he knew that I was disabled and receiving SSDI.
I told him that those instructions from management don't feel correct. I really can't say much more as I don't have all the details why this policy is in place at this VAMC or if it is true. I do know that the GAF score is a judgement call from the treating physician and I should not be questioning health care professionals in how they do there job and I in getting the proper medical care. But, I am human and I am curious about this, cause the GAF is part of the overall adjudication process for MH claims.
"If all private mental health care proffesionals gave their patients a GAF lower than 60 and subsequent hospitalizations for that threshold the hospitals would be innundated with patients and won't be able to hold them and would implode."
He could'nt answer me for that, he was very polite and caring and I felt that he didn't agreed with such policy either, he is a good doctor, never the less I would never put his career in jeoperdy for his honesty and I choose not to name the VAMC.
God bless America, Waiting for feedback.
