Schizophrenia and the military

I wanted to no if anyone else here has been to the military with schizophrenia I had it in high school and I joint the marine and went to Iraq for six months I did my hole for years just feeling stressed from doing that just want to no if anyone else did that or if I’m the only one that did not say anything to anyone

1 Like

I was medically retired from the Marines for schizophrenia. Couldn’t hide it. In total I did 24 years, 10 months and some odd days.

I had two tours in Iraq before I got sick.

4 Likes

I injured myself when I joined my country’s national guard from the ROTC equivalent whilst at uni, so was out luckily!

I think things could have been interesting if I started hearing voices or had intrusive thoughts on the range.

Yes Sz leaves no one …!!! Tho’ i am not a veteran see i encountered Sz…!!! Life’s a so cruel…!!!

1 Like

My military duty speeded the process of delusional puff, psychotic transition first onset.

Bravo for your longevity and endurance. I was completely fried after 10 months.

How did you get meds in boot camp ? I was in the Marines prior to sz.

1 Like

I tried to join the army several times but my drug use, juvenile record and hospitalisation stopped me. I was an Army Cadet for about 4 years when I was a teenager, loved it and it was what I wanted to do with my life.

The recruitment guy was brutally honest with me, he told me to try something else and move on as he couldn’t consider me.

I wanted to be an RAF Commando where you get airdropped in to secure landing locations and airfields before equipment or aircraft reach the zone for operations. I really wanted to do this, but it’s a shame how things worked out.

I really wanted to contribute.

1 Like

I don’t know about schizophrenia, but when I was in the army everybody drank a lot. We drank alcoholically. The army kind of pushed drinking on us, because alcohol was cheap when I was in Germany. A forty ounce bottle of Bacardi cost $2.90. I applied for a disability pension on the grounds that I became an alcoholic in the army. That went over like a lead balloon. If the army gave disability pensions for alcoholism it would bankrupt our nation. When I was in the army was like a factory that produced alcoholics.

1 Like

Army…pre DX…

1 Like

I was not on meds I hid it from everyone tell I got out and people found out when I went to College

Did you think you were sick and just hid it. Or were you totally clueless that you were sick?

I just thought scizo was like boot camp all the time I just wanted my honorable discharge so I hid it from everyone in high school my recruiters and the marines I thought they would lock me up if they new I did not no that they did not have phyc wards anymore this was back in the early 2000s when people did not do as much about mental illnes idon’t think my sergeants would be live me anyway just think I was trying to get out

Prombly a little of bolth

I could not emagine paranoid Boot camp you probably thought you would never leave there.

I was discharged due to schizophrenia.

I enlisted in the Navy in 1981 (the restrictions were much more lax back then–if you were breathing you were good to go). I took the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test and scored 99%. The recruiter said I could pick any rate (job) I wanted, so I chose Intelligence Specialist (gathering, organizing, and analyzing of information).

I did basic training in Great Lakes, IL, then submarine school in Groton, CT, then A and C school in Dam Neck, VA, then I served on the U.S.S. Lexington (AVT-16) out of NAS Pensacola, FL.

On the ship I started getting “brain fog,” I couldn’t think or write. Then I started having delusions of inference (the data seemed to have covert messages that were directed at me). An IS officer told me that I was acting “strange,” and to go to mental health services (an aircraft carrier is basically a floating city–they even have their own zip code). I met with a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with “symptoms of schizophrenia.” My career was over that fast.

The good news is that I filed for compensation. I met with a psychiatrist for 5 hours. After two months I received papers from Veterans’ Affairs (VA) that said I was ruled 100%, service-connected disabled, total and permanent.

5 Likes

Interesting story kindness. What does ‘service-connected disabled’ mean? Did you get the compensation?

1 Like

@LucyK

Service-connected means that the condition was either caused or aggravated by military service.

Yes, I receive a monthly check for the rest of my life.

3 Likes

Service connected means the disability occurred in the line of duty while you were entitled to basic pay. It means simply that your service aggravated your condition.

I am a 100% permanent and totally disabled veteran also. We receive disability compensation from the VA.

5 Likes

Thanks @kindness and @TomCat. Sorry to hear service aggravated your condition but it’s good to hear that you’re being compensated.

1 Like