SECTION 1: Emotional Red Flags  I feel emotionally raw — like I’m too sensitive to noise, criticism, or stress  I’ve started crying or shutting down unexpectedly  I'm reacting strongly to small things (snapping, lashing out, withdrawing)  I feel emotionally unseen or like no one gets me  I keep repeating emotional pain in my head like a loop  I feel like my emotions are getting bigger than me

Veterans of the Storm: Why Every Diagnosis Needs a Different Response When a veteran is misdiagnosed — or when the real condition is missed — the treatment fails, the emotional damage grows deeper, and the risk of suicide increases. Below is a breakdown of how each mental health condition screened by Veterans of the Storm requires a different type of support, and what happens when it is misunderstood or treated incorrectly.

This guide helps peer coaches and clinicians identify emotional patterns across major diagnostic categories based on written responses in the unified assessment. These patterns reflect underlying emotional injuries and neurological traits commonly misdiagnosed or overlooked in veterans.