I'm married to a man whose in the Army and I think I may be bipolar or having a problem with depression.?

Tanya968

Ok, woman to woman talk.
1. Ranger here is right. You need to see a doctor on base.
Call and make appointment, just tell them your symptoms.

2. If you need some emotional / spiritual support and guidance, talk to the chaplain. Or, talk to some other wives on base - esp the ones with more yrs. in "service".

3. You could be homesick (with all due respect, Sir Ranger, spouses are often stuck in a tiny apt. with no job, very little money, away from their family support and no rewarding work).
You could be homesick and depressed.
You could just be all of the above, and need someone who understands.
You could be bipolar (tho I would leave that diagnosis to doctors).

4. Find an older or more experienced wife to mentor you, and some younger wives to spent time with (coffee, quilting or knitting circle, or playing games or just taking children out to play in groups). Taking walks around town or in nature area (esp woods) with another wife will be great for you.
Search online - yahoo groups, for vetwives, vetwivessupport, and other groups where women can give you information on military life (for wives), how to cope, and info on bipolar and PTSD.

Good luck. Links below for info.

conranger1

Chinagirl read the question again:

SHE thinks SHE may be bipolar and depressed!!

Have a talk to base medical, cant imagine why you should get too stressed because Germany is a great place to be based.

Hopefully you are getting off the base and taking in all the sights, sounds, smells, and the great food.I know money is a tight restraint and its not a holiday, but one thing I found the Germans good at were allowing lots of space for trees and green areas to walk with kids and just enjoy the fresh air, all of us need "space" I enjoyed just going for a walk around where I lived just to wander up a small street and see what houses and gardens were up there, sounds daft but even as a soldier we appriciate the things that bring some harmony into our lives.

You can always find that special quite spot to be alone with your thoughts, and go there as often as you can.

I lived in Bavaria for over 5 years and really miss it.

By the way if you are in the south of the country many people get effected by the temperature changes between high and low pressure, it often gives people very bad headaces and causes a lot of stress, its a well known local phenomenon.

Mrsjvb

you start with your PCM and request a referral to a mental health specialist.

ejw

I am an army wife and had a friend who was bipolar (she was an army wife too). It did not effect anything her husband did at all, in fact his chain of command was not even aware of it until she started having some problems while he was deployed. She had a psychiatrist that she could call or go see anytime. Go see your PCP and tell them the problems that you are having...they should refer you out to the appropriate place...probably a psychiatrist...to evaluate you and find out what's wrong. You know you HAVE to start with your Primary Care Provider to do anything else...that is the TriCare system. I hope it is not bipolar, maybe you just have a slight case of depression. It is common overseas for wives. It is such a different life and in the winter the days are soo short.

BooYa Boo

go to the base hospital. they should be able to help you right there on base.

i really sympathize with you, but hang in there. get over to the hospital and get an appointment to talk to a psychiatrist (not psychologist) ASAP. every military base has a mental health department, no matter if it's the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines. since you are married to someone in the Army, you should be able to get free treatment or at least very inexpensive treatment if they do charge you money for some reason. the important thing is to hang tough and see someone ASAP, so that you don't become even more depressed. also, exercise (especially running and swimming) is known for fact to be very helpful for anyone dealing with depression. exercise allows your brain to give off endorphins which are good chemicals for a person's brain and help with positive thinking and mood. don't just stay inside one place all day. that is very bad for you. get out and exercise once a day and that will help you. it always helps me when i'm feeling depressed or anxious. i wish you the best of luck and i hope things improve for you. and remember that you aren't alone. millions and millions of people around the world are going through, have gone through, or will go through what you are experiencing now. yeah, life is a kick in the a** sometimes but hang tough and you'll be alright. if you want to talk, you can email me. take care! Auf Wiedersehen!

23yo Mum of 2

You think YOU may be bipolar right? Ask your husband to find out who the support person is for the army wives and see a doctor or a counsellor. Only a doctor can provide you with the medication you might need, I am on medication for post natal depression and it has helped me so much. There is help out there and the army should provide it for you as you are a family member.

Critter

Above all don't be afraid to ask for help. You've gotten some pretty good ideas here. Your base hospital, the family service center, the chaplains. All can help you or at least point you in the right direction to get help specifically in Germany. Don't waste time. Make an appointment with one or more of them and start finding the help you may need. Once you get out there you'll find they may suggest many options for dealing with problems. You'll be able to find something that works for you.

Army Medic's Wife

Chaplain. If not, go to ACS (army community service) and they will point you in the right direction. If this does NOT help, get a referral through Tricare - if you have Prime, you have to go through your PCM - if not, then you can make an appt yourself. Also try militaryonesource.com to make appts and whatnot - it also has good info. These sessions your husband can be involved and it will NOT go back to his chain of command.

Justice35

Of course talk to your spouse 1st then you need to make an appointment with your PCM tell him/her the truth on how you feel and what your going through, you can always do a walk in for Mental Health, it is hard being stationed overseas away from family and friends I understand that and I also understand the stress of your husband being deployed and having children.

Good luck to you!
Soldier &Armywife over 10 yrs and growing

7 of 9

The army was not helpful in this area when I was active duty, I had to go offpost for this, and the army paid for the counseling. I think you would go to the clinic and get a referral to the theraphy portion of the hosbital or they will refer you off post. Either wya you need to get some help, there is no reason to keep feeling depressed all the time, like I was. I finally found some rest with no meds thru www.theophostic.com.

Shylock

I worked in the Air Force mental health field for five years. If you believe you have a psychiatric illness you need to see a psychiatrist. As a military spouse you have full access to medical care. If your base does not have the staff to care for you they will either send you to a base that does or send you into the community.

Also subsitcyber doesn't know what he is talking about and is part of the problem by further stigmatizing behavioral health problems and creating fear of helping agencies. Chaplains cannot prescribe meds. And if you are bi-polar you need a doctor not a pastor.

As a civilian you would have full confidentiality and no one but medical personnel would have access to your mental health record unless (like any medical record, military or civilian) it became part of court case or you were a threat to self/others. Further your illness not part of your husband's service record.

For the record even if your husband were to seek services the same rules of confidentiality and privacy apply to him with certain exceptions:

1. If he confesses to a crime
2. If he works with nuclear weapons (PRP)
3. If he is a danger to himself or others
4. If he is unable to perform his duties - but itâ€™s worth noting here that same applies to cancer.

Medical records are never part of services records unless the service member's medical history makes them unable to perform their duties and they must be removed from duty for medical reasons or medically retired. But mental health issues are no different than dental issues or serious medical problems.

Everyone will have a story about someone they know who heard about someone who had their career ruined by visiting mental health. They are mostly uniformed crap and half truths.

Mer

they should have a clinic near you, make an appointment right away to see a professional. Good Luck.

I agree with Ms JVB. Just go see your health care provider. They'll be able to refer you to mental health. They're there for a reason so use it.

Take care and get the help you need.

le VicSter!

If you're under Tri Care Prime, you cannot see a doctor outside of the military medical care. And...Chaplains don't always work.

Sometimes in your situation, you have to be referred to a specialist so go ahead and schedule an appointment with your Primary Care Manager for now and explain your situation and tell him/her how you feel. (Tell the desk clerk that you need the closest available appointment possible so you can be seen right away.)

During that appointment your PCM will most likely talk to you about your situation (try to get more in depth, etc.), will decide and go over some suitable options that would be good for you. Hopefully he/she will do the right thing and put in a referral to see a specialist (if need be) so the necessary steps can be taken for you to get better.

subsistcyber

The best person to talk to, for the two of you together, would be the chaplain. He is under a strict oath of silence unless it involves harm in some way. If you went to mental health and made an appointment with a coulselor, it would be put in his record.

Rana

You should have thought it before marriage

Chinagirl

He's your husband so you do have the right to intervine if you think he has a mental condition. It is not just your right, you have an obligation to your husband to seek treatment with the medical staff. At least you don't need to hastle w/ insurance in the military.

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