I wrote an article a while back and updated some of the info yesterday

[prplchknz]

Would you say it's like knowing things are off, but not understanding the nature of the sickness? Would it be a lack of awareness of the depths of the symptoms?

Yes, that pretty much sums it up

 

[prplchknz]

Uh huh! I would be too if I did not live with my husband. I think I get about...1/6th of what I'd need to live on my own. And part of that goes to what my insurance wont pay for, the amount of which surprises even myself.

I don't pay any to insurance I guess because I have the privilge of staying on my mom's til she retires and then medicaid overs any copays.

 

[ceecee]

Why Mental Health Should be Covered – Libby Buchanan – Medium

[MENTION=29687]Frosty[/MENTION] said people should read it. So listen to her.

I read your original article and now this, it's very good.

I don't want to hear anymore arguments that involve insurance companies and health care, including mental which is completely connected to physical health care. They've all been heard. Same thing when someone starts a conversation about access to health care. That's code for - we'll make sure you are either priced out or distanced out - which is what has already happened. Perhaps continuing to vote for those weighing profit against deaths and always choosing profit, isn't the best idea.

Until profit is removed from the conversation, we spin our wheels on all health care.

 

[prplchknz]

I read your original article and now this, it's very good.

I don't want to hear anymore arguments that involve insurance companies and health care, including mental which is completely connected to physical health care. They've all been heard. Same thing when someone starts a conversation about access to health care. That's code for - we'll make sure you are either priced out or distanced out - which is what has already happened. Perhaps continuing to vote for those weighing profit against deaths and always choosing profit, isn't the best idea.

Until profit is removed from the conversation, we spin our wheels on all health care.

true.

are you saying I should't've written the article? I mean I know you think it's good but do you think the content has all been said before and no one's really listening?

 

[ceecee]

true.

are you saying I should't've written the article? I mean I know you think it's good but do you think the content has all been said before and no one's really listening?

Oh no no, you should have written the article. I want to hear your story first and foremost. And it's important to advance understanding of mental health.

I know mental health care is inaccessible for a huge chunk of the population. Because of health insurance, lack of providers or cost. It's the very first thing removed when employers decide on health plans for employees. It's very limited in most Medicare gaps and Medicaid programs beyond impatient care. Many medications to treat mental conditions are out of the reach of people due to cost. So passing laws that say health insurance must cover <inserts whatever> doesn't help anyone and the GOP will overturn them at the state and national levels every chance they get.

Trump has been president for 2 years. Somewhere between 5 and 8 million people and counting have lost coverage. And it will continue because both parties are beholden to lobbyist from health insurance companies, pharma, health care systems name it. So we get no where.

 

[Coriolis]

Just a reminder to make sure this thread stays non-political, with a focus on medical, social, or other aspects of the issue instead.

 

[prplchknz]

Oh no no, you should have written the article. I want to hear your story first and foremost. And it's important to advance understanding of mental health.

I know mental health care is inaccessible for a huge chunk of the population. Because of health insurance, lack of providers or cost. It's the very first thing removed when employers decide on health plans for employees. It's very limited in most Medicare gaps and Medicaid programs beyond impatient care. Many medications to treat mental conditions are out of the reach of people due to cost. So passing laws that say health insurance must cover <inserts whatever> doesn't help anyone and the GOP will overturn them at the state and national levels every chance they get.

Trump has been president for 2 years. Somewhere between 5 and 8 million people and counting have lost coverage. And it will continue because both parties are beholden to lobbyist from health insurance companies, pharma, health care systems name it. So we get no where.

yup, plus treating mental health will drag down the numbers of people in poverty or homeless because of a severe mental illness that they can't or their families can't afford to get them help for. Meds are expensive as fuck my injection is 5,000 without insurance. and my lamictal is over 300 a month it's ridiculous they should not cost that much.

I mean it won't solve the homeless problem we also need to adress income inequality and other factors

 

[ceecee]

yup, plus treating mental health will drag down the numbers of people in poverty or homeless because of a severe mental illness that they can't or their families can't afford to get them help for. Meds are expensive as fuck my injection is 5,000 without insurance. and my lamictal is over 300 a month it's ridiculous they should not cost that much.

I mean it won't solve the homeless problem we also need to adress income inequality and other factors

Yes. It's a cycle that touches every part of life, not only for the mentally ill individual but their entire ecosystem. We don't clean plastic out of the ocean and turn around and shit in it and call it clean.

 

[Yuurei]

Yes. It's a cycle that touches every part of life, not only for the mentally ill individual but their entire ecosystem. We don't clean plastic out of the ocean and turn around and shit in it and call it clean.

It's ironic. For me, the worst part about my own disabilities/illnesses is that no one wants to hear it. All the physical, social, economical manifestations of it I can-and have been- dealing with just fine. But the lack of support or understanding has done far more damage than anything and I cannot get a referral to a psychologist for the-actual- life of me.

It was quite telling when I asked my Dr about it. " I REALLY just need someone to talk to" I told him. He himself looked immediately depressed when he sighed, running his hand from his forehead to his jaw and said " I can't. I'm sorry. I have tried so hard to get therapists for all of my patients and it's impossible."
Apparently there are no longer any physiologist at this particular hospital-which is enormous, expansive, has a history of break-throughs in treatment of a variety of conditions and awards in service excellence-it goes to show that mental health really is considered non-vital for over all well-being.

That particular issue aside, my problem is often that " You don't have a history of mental illness so you're fine" Bitch, Ima about to develop one from exactly this. No doubt many, many people are the same.

The last time I tried to talk to someone at a therapists office, one known for being charitable ( If you're a drug addict, otherwise, "The hell is your problem?) she said she couldn't help because of my insurance. I told her " No wonder people kill themselves." and she just gave me some deadpan, rehearsed " if you're feeling suicidal you need to call the suicide hot line ( ie not my problem, go somewhere else)
I know I sounded really down when I said " Fine. I'll go somewhere else." and hung up on her. No one called back to check on me. I received no paperwork asking " Hey, you had an interview and never heard anything back what happened?" Nothing.

 

[Drapeaux]

It's ironic. For me, the worst part about my own disabilities/illnesses is that no one wants to hear it. All the physical, social, economical manifestations of it I can-and have been- dealing with just fine. But the lack of support or understanding has done far more damage than anything and I cannot get a referral to a psychologist for the-actual- life of me.

It was quite telling when I asked my Dr about it. " I REALLY just need someone to talk to" I told him. He himself looked immediately depressed when he sighed, running his hand from his forehead to his jaw and said " I can't. I'm sorry. I have tried so hard to get therapists for all of my patients and it's impossible."
Apparently there are no longer any physiologist at this particular hospital-which is enormous, expansive, has a history of break-throughs in treatment of a variety of conditions and awards in service excellence-it goes to show that mental health really is considered non-vital for over all well-being.

That particular issue aside, my problem is often that " You don't have a history of mental illness so you're fine" Bitch, Ima about to develop one from exactly this. No doubt many, many people are the same.

The last time I tried to talk to someone at a therapists office, one known for being charitable ( If you're a drug addict, otherwise, "The hell is your problem?) she said she couldn't help because of my insurance. I told her " No wonder people kill themselves." and she just gave me some deadpan, rehearsed " if you're feeling suicidal you need to call the suicide hot line ( ie not my problem, go somewhere else)
I know I sounded really down when I said " Fine. I'll go somewhere else." and hung up on her. No one called back to check on me. I received no paperwork asking " Hey, you had an interview and never heard anything back what happened?" Nothing.

Wow, that's terrible. Can you seek out a therapist covered by your insurance without a referral from another doctor? No one should be denied mental health care, especially if they clearly are interested in it for all the right reasons.

 

[Yuurei]

Wow, that's terrible. Can you seek out a therapist covered by your insurance without a referral from another doctor? No one should be denied mental health care, especially if they clearly are interested in it for all the right reasons.

Nope. I”ve tried. No one will talk to me at all without a refferal.

Back when I had a social worker she was able to get me a few sessions but that was all. I kept paying out of pocket for a while but it got too expensive.

 

[Population: 1]

I’m glad you ended up writing this. It’s not easy sharing some things. Usually due to others ignorance and preconceived notions of what mental health issues entail. So many people assume a mental health problem equates with being mentally stunted.

Your mom is awesome. A less attentive parent may not have realized that you weren’t stupid and may have just sided with doctors. A little kid without an adult to understand and encourage them in that situation would wither from the neglect.

Anyway, it also proves that mental illness can be a prison if left untreated. People can live two completely different lives based off the availability of treatment. It’s sickening when you see anything suffer unnecessarily because of cost restrictions, whether it’s a person or an animal. The difference between living a healthy life or a complete nightmare because of the almighty dollar. It’s criminal.

Thanks for sharing this prpl.

 

[Tilt]

It's ironic. For me, the worst part about my own disabilities/illnesses is that no one wants to hear it. All the physical, social, economical manifestations of it I can-and have been- dealing with just fine. But the lack of support or understanding has done far more damage than anything and I cannot get a referral to a psychologist for the-actual- life of me.

It was quite telling when I asked my Dr about it. " I REALLY just need someone to talk to" I told him. He himself looked immediately depressed when he sighed, running his hand from his forehead to his jaw and said " I can't. I'm sorry. I have tried so hard to get therapists for all of my patients and it's impossible."
Apparently there are no longer any physiologist at this particular hospital-which is enormous, expansive, has a history of break-throughs in treatment of a variety of conditions and awards in service excellence-it goes to show that mental health really is considered non-vital for over all well-being.

That particular issue aside, my problem is often that " You don't have a history of mental illness so you're fine" Bitch, Ima about to develop one from exactly this. No doubt many, many people are the same.

The last time I tried to talk to someone at a therapists office, one known for being charitable ( If you're a drug addict, otherwise, "The hell is your problem?) she said she couldn't help because of my insurance. I told her " No wonder people kill themselves." and she just gave me some deadpan, rehearsed " if you're feeling suicidal you need to call the suicide hot line ( ie not my problem, go somewhere else)
I know I sounded really down when I said " Fine. I'll go somewhere else." and hung up on her. No one called back to check on me. I received no paperwork asking " Hey, you had an interview and never heard anything back what happened?" Nothing.

That genuinely sucks. My mental illness, in a large part, developed because people constantly invalidated my experiences that were brought on by good intentions. I had my legs surgically broken several times to straighten them when I was really little, among other things... with hardly any emotional support. It turned out later, they performed them too early, and I had to do them all over again as an adult. On the surface, I come off relatively normal, but it has left a big emotional scar. I hope it's not too presumptuous, but I shared this because I see slight parallels between you and I.

So just because you look functional doesn't mean you aren't struggling. People can be dismissive and suck sometimes...

 

[Eilonwy]

Awesome article, @prplchknz. You've worked hard and weathered a lot of crap.

Would you mind speculating on how society could have better served you, especially when you were very young? How do you feel about the standards of development and communication that you were held to?

 

[cascadeco]

Thanks for sharing this and putting yourself out there [MENTION=360]prplchknz[/MENTION].

 

[prplchknz]

Awesome article, @prplchknz. You've worked hard and weathered a lot of crap.

Would you mind speculating on how society could have better served you, especially when you were very young? How do you feel about the standards of development and communication that you were held to?

ah i guess society could've served me better by having universal healthcare so i wouldn't have to be on disability. More understanding, less stigma. I'm not sure I don't remember what it was like when i was very young. I'm fine with the standards of development and communication i was held to, but I don't know if I was back then. I can't remember. I don't think it bothered me I was a pretty laidback child.

also i don't think i've weathered more than anyone else, just different crap.

 

[Yuurei]

That genuinely sucks. My mental illness, in a large part, developed because people constantly invalidated my experiences that were brought on by good intentions. I had my legs surgically broken several times to straighten them when I was really little, among other things... with hardly any emotional support. It turned out later, they performed them too early, and I had to do them all over again as an adult. On the surface, I come off relatively normal, but it has left a big emotional scar. I hope it's not too presumptuous, but I shared this because I see slight parallels between you and I.

So just because you look functional doesn't mean you aren't struggling. People can be dismissive and suck sometimes...

Yeah, it does sound like we've dealt with some similar things. I do appreciate you sharing. I know that easy.
( I don't want to go into detail because I don't want to steal Prpl's thread) but really, thank you, it actually does help a little.

 

[Snow as White]

I really liked your article and appreciated you being able to tell your story. I think it's important to hear voices like yours because it helps keep the human element in the forefront. It's all too easy to consider statistics and forget these numbers represent human stories.

 

[prplchknz]

I really liked your article and appreciated you being able to tell your story. I think it's important to hear voices like yours because it helps keep the human element in the forefront. It's all too easy to consider statistics and forget these numbers represent human stories.

Thank you! Yeah I guess so. I tend to focus more on human elements than statistics but I may be in the minority

- - - Updated - - -

Yeah, it does sound like we've dealt with some similar things. I do appreciate you sharing. I know that easy.
( I don't want to go into detail because I don't want to steal Prpl's thread) but really, thank you, it actually does help a little.

I think this stuff would make an awesome 2nd thread.

 

[Yuurei]

Thank you! Yeah I guess so. I tend to focus more on human elements than statistics but I may be in the minority

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I think this stuff would make an awesome 2nd thread.

Aw Prpl, I appreciate you’re support but aside from “ listen to me whine about my life” I would not exactly know what context I would put it under.