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Military Families
Bad News :( Need Advice
DH left for USAF BMT last monday. I got a call this tuesday night that he had a manic attack, and now they are telling me they are thinking DH is bipolar 
Ive talked to him a few times, and hes completely out of touch with reality. He knows me, and our son, and our friends, but things he says are just...well, weird.
The doc says that with the meds he will be on he cant return to basic.
Does anyone know since he cant go back to basic, if he could still have any sort of career in the AF? We wont know what kind of discharge he will get for a while, but im hoping we will get the medical discharge.
Anyone have any advice?
TTC since 01/2011 ~ Our baby grew wings on 11/10/11 at 5w
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Bad News :( Need Advice
First of all I am sorry you are going through this and that you have to be away from him at a time like this.
If he cannot complete basic he cannot join. No matter what the job is you have to go through basic first. I don't know how they do the discharge when still in basic but I don't think it would be a medical discharge where he would receive benefits. I could totally be wrong though, I am just assuming.
If he is on medication that will not allow him to complete BMT then he cannot be enlisted in the AF. He will get a medical discharge but not receive any benefits since he was never AD. There are civilian jobs that he can be hired for through the AF but he will not be considered IN the Air Force.
I'm so sorry this is happening to your family and how rough it must be. I can not imagine going through this situation. I wish all the best to you.
He can't join any branch if he is bipolar. He also will not be given benefits because a mental illness is a pre-existing condition. In order to qualify for the benefits, it would have to be something that happened while he was in the military.
My cousin was medically discharged from the Army for being bipolar. He was in for about 6 months. He completed basic and his training school. He was not eligible for benefits because it was a pre-existing condition.
Your DH will not get a discharge that is unfavorable to him, so if that is why you are hoping that it is a medical discharge, then you don't have to worry about it. If you are hoping for a medical discharge for benefits, then you are out of luck.
This, pretty much exactly. Just wanting to add that a mental health diagnosis like he is looking at will most likely preclude him from employment with any branch of the military or related government agencies, as active duty, reserve, or even a civilian employee.
I think all the PP's covered the military side of things, I just wanted to add a bit of hope regarding the diagnosis (I'm a mental health therapist). BPD can be a scary diagnosis to hear at first, but the field is expanding many effective approaches that allow people to live complete and full lives as long as there is continued and available support.
I was just afraid the thread was sounding pretty negative, and while the military will not be the best place for him health-wise, I hope you know it's certainly not an end of the world diagnosis.
Thoughts are with you and your family, best of luck!
I had a Major who was diagnosed with bipolar. He was not medically discharged, but since he was not deployable, there was really no chance that he could ever get selected for LtCol. Most people consider that a "career ender", but he was still eligible to stay in and retire as a Major if he wanted.
ETA: I also agree with Kristin2t that, assuming he disorder is managed appropriately, this should in no way affect his ability to secure non-military employment.
I don't mean any disrespect, but you're kidding right? He's been at BMT for what? A week? You think in that short amount of time, he all of a sudden developed a mental illness as a result of boot camp? Whether symptomatic or not, if he has a mental illness, it was there before he left. It wasn't a result of BMT. That's not how it works.
Mental illnesses ARE a pre-existing condition no matter how you look at it. Maybe the stress is the contributing factor to him exhibiting symptoms, but BMT didn't give him the illness. If he really has a mental illness, he would have eventually started to show symptoms.
Your DH has been there a week. You can't actually believe that this wasn't something that was going on prior to him going, can you? With all due respect, if he is having this many issues his first week of BMT (whether it is due to a mental illness or a poor reaction to stress), then he has absolutely no business in the military to begin with.
wow, that was a little harsh. i know he was only there a week, but my husband has never in his entire life shown any signs of being bipolar. hes not aggressive, depressed, or anything like hes acting now. Hes always been a very happy, mellow guy. His family would agree. Theres no family history on his side of depression or mental diseases, so yes, i have a right to believe this was caused there. Im not trying to act naive, but he has never showed a sign for anyone to think he had a mental problem.
DITTO!
This. I am sorry that you are going through this, but it's probably better that he finds out now and not once BMT really gets going. The first week is generally in-processing and everything. Or it was when my DH was at Army Basic.
I remember DH telling me of a guy in his unit that went completley insane from the stress. He had mental issues before he went to Basic and the stress of being there and doing everything that they do got the better of him. He was medically discharged, but not with benefits or pay. From what I understand and from what PP have said you have to graduate first in order to receive the benefits. Which makes sense.
Mental disorders don't just develop in a week. They can be triggered by something which is how it sounds with your DH. Your DH isn't going to get a dishonorable discharge so don't worry about that.
Once again I am sorry that you are going through this.
As someone who has seen a family member go through this (BPD, not with military though), a week at basic could not have caused it. It may have triggered something that was already there. I have learned a lot about depression and seen it in many different ways with just one person, my mother. She never showed any signs of it either until she was in her 30's but the doctors we have talked to said it was something she always had. Her life got very hectic and many things changed, that is when it started showing up. She will sometimes go years with out any issues.
I cannot see him getting benefits when he did not even complete basic. My best friend fractured her hip in basic and got no pay from it even though she is now out after 4 years and still has issues with her hip. It isn't that easy to be able to receive those benefits.
I am sorry that you guys are going through this and I hope things work out for your family.
Sorry, but this was my first thought as well. I knew a few people in Basic who try to get out because once they got to BMT.. they realized they didn't want to be in the military.
Also I agree with everyone else. Bipolar can't happen after one week of basic.
Again, I am sorry you have to go through this but in my opinion Basic is not extremely stressful and can't cause any illness that wasn't existing beforehand.
I did my thesis in college on BPD.
It's one of those mental conditions that typically manifests in the late teens, early twenties, or even early thirties, with an onset of stress.
While Basic could be considered a trigger (or possibly being away from you and the baby?) a week in training can't cause BPD. If it hadn't been triggered by this, it would have manifested eventually.
That said, if he truly has BPD, and isn't just trying to get out (no disrespect) then you will need to watch your children in the future. BPD is generally considered a genetic condition, similar to depression.
I'm sorry you're going through this, but it's going to get a lot harder. I would look in your area for a BPD support group. You will really need to be around people, or at least talk to people, who live with someone with BPD. You will need ot help him stay on his meds and not let him convince you (during an up moment) that he is fine and can stop taking them. Please gather as much information as you can before he gets home so you can be prepared for the changes that are about to take place in you life. That should really be your main concern right now, rather than what kind of discharge he gets.
Oh, and I didn't see where you are from, but most states have programs to provide medication to people with mental disorders if you can't afford them after he is discharged.
Good luck.
This. I am bipolar, and while there were some warning signals while I was still in high school it took my DH joining and us moving 1800miles away from all my friends and family before it manifested enough to be diagnosed and helped. It is hard to live with both as a sufferer and a loved ones perspective, but the best thing you can do for him and your family is to be there, find a group that can help you manage your feelings about his BPD, and above all make sure if meds are the course he takes them and doesnt stop because he feels fine now.
If you want to chat feel free to msg me.
Once again...bipolar disorder can't be caused by a week at boot camp. And like I said in a PP it's good he found out then. The first week isn't anything compared to what the rest of the weeks would have been. I know of a guy who in Army Basic flipped after being in the gas chamber. And then threatened to kill everyone and himself. They had to put him on a suicide watch. He was diagnosed as bipolar. But, being at Basic did not cause him to have mental issues. It was a disorder that was dormant until he was put under that stress.
He's your husband and I know you don't want to think that he had this condition all along, but if he is bipolar then he has had it and it wasn't brought on by the military.
sorry, but this was my thought too. It wouldn't be the first time, i've seen it before. The first female flight after us sent 4 girls to the looney bin with in the first week and a half.
Edited to add: I know the OP mentioned AF, but my experience is in Army...i would like to think the medical qualifications are the same, but honestly I dont know that part.
I have to agree with a few posters and disagree with a few others.
1. You can not make the diagnosis of bipolar disorder after being away at basic for 1 week. Adjustment disorder with anxiety is a more likely diagnosis for right now. Also, you said he had a "manic attack". As in, he was manic, or he had a panic attack? Two different things.
2. Yes, basic could be a trigger for a panic attack or a period of mania. Basic wouldn't have caused the root problem though. Everyone has a different threshold, your husband's is high enough that civilian life doesn;t bother him and military training does. This doesn't make him a failure, it's just the way he is wired.
3. Yes, you can be bipolar and deploy. Yes, you can be bipolar and be on meds and be in the Army. Yes, you can.... you can whatever the hell you want in the Army as long as you don't have a P3 or P4 profile for psych. Those of you with profiles, look up your PULHES. See the code for the S? That's psych. If it's a 1 you have no issues. A 2, you have some issues but are still fine to stay in. If you get a profile with a 3 or 4 in that category it is automatically an MEB referral. The key here is that you have to have been in the Army past basic and AIT. For the OP, her husband doesn't meet that criteria. OP, if you want the absolute best source of information- google "AR 40-501" It's the regulation for the Standards of Medical Fitness.
4. Don't let anyone on here tell you that your husband has a mental condition that you didn't see prior to him enlisting. Until he has an actual diagnosis from a psychiatrist (and not just a social worker or psychologist), don't stress over how he was or was not prior to basic.
5. I don't know what kind of discharge he will get- my area of expertise is for MMRBs, MEB/PEB type issues with those that have been in for a while.
Good luck with your situation...I wish the best for you both!
This response kicks A$$.
I'm by NO means an expert, but I've worked in both residential and high school settings with bipolar teenagers. It usually took weeks (if not months) of physical, mental and historical evaluations before a psychiatrist would definitively diagnose BPD.
He will likely get EPTS (Existed Prior to Service) - Discharge without severance pay.