Military Personality Disorder Diagnoses

[Alarmist]

Judging by the fact that this sub-forum is empty, I assume there aren't many veterans here but I'll ask just the same. Has anyone been diagnosed by the military with a personality disorder?

I had a mental breakdown when I was serving in the Navy. I sought out help previously. I spoke to a junior enlisted psyche tech and was made to sign a contract stating that I would restrain from further self-injury and was told I could see a doctor in a few months (I was deployed at the time). I eventually lost control and wound up going AWOL. In a moment of clarity, I turned myself in after a few weeks and was hospitalized while awaiting transport back to my duty station.

I wasn't sure what was wrong with me. I was anxious and agitated almost all the time. I thought about suicide constantly. I asked the supervising physician for a diagnosis before my trial and he said I had Personality Disorder NOS (not otherwise specified). Which struck me as saying "you're just broken."

As I struggled in the years after my discharge, I wondered about personality disorders and if I had any hope of a decent life or any positive relationships. Eventually, I found out that the military hands out personality disorder diagnoses like service medals. The following link is to a New York Times article on this phenomenon.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/us/a- ... d=all&_r=0

I felt really violated when I learned about this practice. I think it's important to get the word out. So, if any of you had a similar experience, don't put a lot of stock in this diagnosis and you're definitely not alone.

[Swinney101]

I don't suffer from personality disorder, but I am a veteran. Have you sought out the VA for another look at the diagnosis? Look forward to chatting with you. I'll start posting some good mental health info just for veterans in this subsection.

[FestivalOChem]

The military is notorious for blanket psychological diagnoses. That happened to my husband. He went to the VA and they had it changed since he had PTSD, not MPD. Do yourself a favor and get tested by them.